Cell therapy for spinal cord injury informed by electromagnetic waves.
Spinal cord injury devastates the CNS, besetting patients with symptoms including but not limited to: paralysis, autonomic nervous dysfunction, pain disorders and depression. Despite the identification of several molecular and genetic factors, a reliable regenerative therapy has yet to be produced for this terminal disease. Perhaps the missing piece of this puzzle will be discovered within endogenous electrotactic cellular behaviors. Neurons and stem cells both show mediated responses (growth rate, migration, differentiation) to electromagnetic waves, including direct current electric fields. This review analyzes the pathophysiology of spinal cord injury, the rationale for regenerative cell therapy and the evidence for directing cell therapy via electromagnetic waves shown by in vitro experiments.
Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, 1032 W. Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60660, USA.
Jack
J
Finnegan
Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, 1032 W. Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60660, USA.
Hui
H
Ye
D000818:Animals; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D060733:Electromagnetic Radiation; D006801:Humans; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D044968:Regenerative Medicine; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
cell therapy; electrotaxis; galvanotaxis; neural precursors; neural regeneration; neurodegenerative disorders; spinal cord injury