title: Prospect of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neural Crest Stem Cells in Clinical Application.
abstract: Neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) represent a transient and multipotent cell population that contributes to numerous anatomical structures such as peripheral nervous system, teeth, and cornea. NCSC maldevelopment is related to various human diseases including pigmentation abnormalities, disorders affecting autonomic nervous system, and malformations of teeth, eyes, and hearts. As human pluripotent stem cells including human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can serve as an unlimited cell source to generate NCSCs, hESC/hiPSC-derived NCSCs can be a valuable tool to study the underlying mechanisms of NCSC-associated diseases, which paves the way for future therapies for these abnormalities. In addition, hESC/hiPSC-derived NCSCs with the capability of differentiating to various cell types are highly promising for clinical organ repair and regeneration. In this review, we first discuss NCSC generation methods from human pluripotent stem cells and differentiation mechanism of NCSCs. Then we focus on the clinical application potential of hESC/hiPSC-derived NCSCs on peripheral nerve injuries, corneal blindness, tooth regeneration, pathological melanogenesis, Hirschsprung disease, and cardiac repair and regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119083.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119083; National University of Singapore Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456.
authors.forename: Qiqi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119083.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119083; National University of Singapore Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456; National University of Singapore Tissue Engineering Program (NUSTEP), Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117510.
authors.forename: Tong
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7994-9627
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cao