title: The potential of cell-based therapy in lung diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many lung diseases have high morbidity and mortality rates and there are no cures or treatments apart from mechanical ventilation or transplantation. Cell-based therapies are currently an area of intense research, and many groups are working to translate successful in vitro results into treatments that are safe for patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review discusses several types of stem and progenitor cells that have been proven likely candidates for cell therapies, as well as their applications so far in specific acute and chronic lung diseases, focusing on their mechanisms of action and how best they can be directed toward clinical aims.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The research on cell therapies for the lung, particularly regarding mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), is promising, but there is still much uncertainty surrounding the mechanisms of MSC action and the factors relevant to clinical applications such as the optimal timing of dosage. Future studies will focus on the microenvironment of the stem cells, including the role of microRNAs and extracellular vesicles.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh, Dorothy P. and Richard P. Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease, Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine , Pittsburgh, PA , USA rojasm@upmc.edu.
authors.forename: Luai
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huleihel
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rojas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*