Stem-cell Developments
The attention towards the usage of stem cells in scientific studies is a subject of many controversies in the past decade. However, while some opponents of these experiments point out ethical issues related to the origin of this tissue, it is also essential to understand what these studies signify. Before I explain their potential uses, I would like to explain what role do stem cells play in neurodevelopment. In the adult body, neural stem cells regenerate ~700 neurons every day (Ottoboni et al., 2017). The ability of stem cells to morph and adapt to other tissues of an organism will make them a crucial part of the treatment of many illnesses.
Future Perspectives
Stem-cell tissues have a clear potential to cure severe diseases which nowadays are considered untreatable. Ottoboni et al. (2017) state that the “depletion of the stem cell pool” and “defect in cell-cell contact” are the primary reasons for multiple sclerosis, which is the natural effect of aging (p. 10). Studies of human neural stem cells will allow researchers to avoid putting patients who suffer from conditions such as Parkinson’s disease in danger by subjecting them to experimental treatments (Parr et al., 2017). As illnesses that affect the CNS are not yet fully understood and treatable, it is essential for scientists to continue their work on stem-cell tissue research to eradicate these illnesses.
References
Kwon, S. G., Kwon, Y. W., Lee, T. W., Park, G. T., & Kim, J. H. (2018). Recent advances in stem cell therapeutics and tissue engineering strategies. Biomaterials Research, 22(1).
Ottoboni, L., Merlini, A., & Martino, G. (2017). Neural stem cell plasticity: Advantages in therapy for the injured central nervous system. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 5.
Parr, C. J. C., Yamanaka, S., & Saito, H. (2017). An update on stem cell biology and engineering for brain development. Molecular Psychiatry, 22(6), 808–819.