Abstract
Owing to the aging of the population, our society now faces an impending wave of age-related neurodegenerative pathologies, the most significant of which is Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, no effective therapies for Alzheimer’s disease have been developed. However, recent advances in the fields of neural stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells now provide us with the first real hope for a cure. The recent discovery by Blurton-Jones and colleagues that neural stem cells can effectively deliver disease-modifying therapeutic proteins throughout the brains of our best rodent models of Alzheimer’s disease, combined with recent advances in human nuclear reprogramming, stem cell research, and highly customized genetic engineering, may represent a potentially revolutionary personalized cellular therapeutic approach capable of effectively curing, ameliorating, and/or slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Highlights
Owing to the aging of the population, our society faces an impending wave of age-related neurodegenerative pathologies, the most significant of which is Alzheimer’s disease
The recent discovery that neural stem cells (NSCs) can effectively deliver disease-modifying therapeutic proteins throughout the murine brain [1] provides hope for millions worldwide who suffer from neurodegenerative disease
An alternative approach, which has become increasingly feasible in light of recent discoveries, would be to generate autologous NSCs from human induced pluripotent stem cells, which themselves have been derived from suitable patient cells, such as skin cells (Figure 1)
Summary
Owing to the aging of the population, our society faces an impending wave of age-related neurodegenerative pathologies, the most significant of which is Alzheimer’s disease. The recent discovery that neural stem cells (NSCs) can effectively deliver disease-modifying therapeutic proteins throughout the murine brain [1] provides hope for millions worldwide who suffer from neurodegenerative disease. Young Drive South, 23–120 Center for Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA 2Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, 615 Charles E.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
