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Cell therapies in the treatment of central nervous system disease and injury, such as spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, sequelae of stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and cerebral palsy, have been studied in the clinic for the last 10–20 years. Excitingly, many studies have demonstrated that most patients appear to have some functional improvement following administration of different types of cells by different routes with relatively low risk and good tolerability. However, there are some misconceptions that hinder the development of cell-based neurorestorative strategies. It is a considerable challenge but also an opportunity for physicians in neurorestoratology to face these issues. This review briefly outlines the progress made in neurorestoratology, discusses the relevant issues, and attempts to correct the misconceptions.


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Progress and challenges with clinical cell therapy in neurorestoratology

Show Author's information Hongyun Huang1,2,3( )Gengsheng Mao1Lin Chen4,5Aibing Liu1
General Hospital of Chinese People’s Armed Police Forces,
Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital of Capital Medical University,
Beijing Hongtianji Neuroscience Academy,
Tsinghua University Yuquan Hospital,
Medical Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Abstract

Cell therapies in the treatment of central nervous system disease and injury, such as spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, sequelae of stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and cerebral palsy, have been studied in the clinic for the last 10–20 years. Excitingly, many studies have demonstrated that most patients appear to have some functional improvement following administration of different types of cells by different routes with relatively low risk and good tolerability. However, there are some misconceptions that hinder the development of cell-based neurorestorative strategies. It is a considerable challenge but also an opportunity for physicians in neurorestoratology to face these issues. This review briefly outlines the progress made in neurorestoratology, discusses the relevant issues, and attempts to correct the misconceptions.

Keywords: cell therapy, neurorestoratology, neurorestorative strategies, progress, challenges

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Published: 13 April 2015
Issue date: December 2015

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© 2015 The Author(s).

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© 2015 Huang et al. This work is published by Dove Medical Press Limited, and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. Permissions beyond the scope of the License are administered by Dove Medical Press Limited. Information on how to request permission may be found at: http://www.dovepress.com/permissions.php

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