title: Stem cell therapy: challenges ahead.
abstract: Stem cells have generated great interest for their potential therapeutic use because of their capacity to self-renew indefinitely and to generate all cell lineages (pluripotency). Many diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders or diabetes are caused by loss of functionality or deficiency of a particular cell type. Stem cells differentiated into a specific cell type such as pancreatic β-cells or neurons, for example, thus hold great promise for regenerative medicine. However, many challenges have to be overcome before stem cell therapy can become a viable clinical approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11203, USA, sbhagavati@downstate.edu.
authors.forename: Satyakam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhagavati
mesh_terms: D000066449:Human Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D044968:Regenerative Medicine / Q000379:methods; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*