title: Stem cells for spine surgery.
abstract: In the past few years, stem cells have become the focus of research by regenerative medicine professionals and tissue engineers. Embryonic stem cells, although capable of differentiating into cell lineages of all three germ layers, are limited in their utilization due to ethical issues. In contrast, the autologous harvest and subsequent transplantation of adult stem cells from bone marrow, adipose tissue or blood have been experimentally utilized in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases ranging from myocardial infarction to Alzheimer's disease. The physiologic consequences of stem cell transplantation and its impact on functional recovery have been studied in countless animal models and select clinical trials. Unfortunately, the bench to bedside translation of this research has been slow. Nonetheless, stem cell therapy has received the attention of spinal surgeons due to its potential benefits in the treatment of neural damage, muscle trauma, disk degeneration and its potential contribution to bone fusion.
authors.affiliation: Joshua Schroeder, Kaplan Leon, Meir Liebergall, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Spine Surgery, Hadassah Medical Center, Kiryat Hadassah, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.affiliation: Joshua Schroeder, Kaplan Leon, Meir Liebergall, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Spine Surgery, Hadassah Medical Center, Kiryat Hadassah, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
authors.forename: Janina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kueper
authors.affiliation: Joshua Schroeder, Kaplan Leon, Meir Liebergall, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Spine Surgery, Hadassah Medical Center, Kiryat Hadassah, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
authors.forename: Kaplan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leon
authors.affiliation: Joshua Schroeder, Kaplan Leon, Meir Liebergall, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Spine Surgery, Hadassah Medical Center, Kiryat Hadassah, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
authors.forename: Meir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liebergall
keywords: Fusion; Intervertebral disk regeneration; Peripheral nerve damage; Skeletal muscle regeneration; Spinal cord injury; Spine surgery; Stem cell