Advanced Cell and Gene Therapy

Recent Advances in Stem Cell Research

Stem cell therapy has continued to advance, bringing hope to cure diseases that were once considered incurable. The concepts underlying the use of stem cells in therapy depend on their inherent capacity for regenerating the original tissues of the body. Additionally, stem cells can be altered to provide powerful drugs or nanomaterial’s and has an ability to modulate the immune system. Moreover, innovative advances continue in immunotherapy with allogeneic cells and their progress toward clinical use. The T cell immunology field has focused on cytotoxic T lymphocytes, which play an essential role in the immune defence against viral infections and malignancies. The most widely adopted stem cell therapy is the transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells to treat haematological malignancies and disorders of the immune system and blood.  Other ongoing clinical trials involving stem cell therapies have already generated impressive results, such as when patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were induced to differentiate into pigment epithelial cells of the retina when transplanted into patients with macular degeneration, greatly improving the patient's sight. Furthermore, in a recent world-first, iPSC-derived mesenchymal stromal cells have successfully been used to treat patients with acute steroid-resistant graft vs. host diseases.