title: Neural stem cell therapies for enteric nervous system disorders.
abstract: The enteric nervous system is vulnerable to a range of congenital and acquired disorders that disrupt the function of its neurons or lead to their loss. The resulting enteric neuropathies are some of the most challenging clinical conditions to manage. Neural stem cells offer the prospect of a cure given their potential ability to replenish missing or dysfunctional neurons. This article discusses diseases that might be targets for stem cell therapies and the barriers that could limit treatment application. We explore various sources of stem cells and the proof of concept for their use. The critical steps that remain to be addressed before these therapies can be used in patients are also discussed. Key milestones include the harvesting of neural stem cells from the human gut and the latest in vivo transplantation studies in animals. The tremendous progress in the field has brought experimental studies exploring the potential of stem cell therapies for the management of enteric neuropathies to the cusp of clinical application.
authors: Neural Development and Gastroenterology Units, Birth Defects Research Centre, UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
authors: Alan J
authors: AJ
authors: Burns
authors: 1] Neural Development and Gastroenterology Units, Birth Defects Research Centre, UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK. [2] Division of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH, UK.
authors: Nikhil
authors: N
authors: Thapar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D007418:Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction / Q000628:therapy*; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000637:transplantation*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D016896:Treatment Outcome