Neural Cells for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Clinical Trials

Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) are an entire spectrum of clinical conditions that affect the central and peripheral nervous system. There is no cure currently, with treatment focusing mainly on slowing down progression or symptomatic relief. Cellular therapies with various cell types from different sources are being conducted as clinical trials for several ND diseases. They include neural, mesenchymal and hemopoietic stem cells, and neural cells derived from embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. In this review, we present the list of cellular therapies for ND comprising 33 trials that used neural stem progenitors, 8 that used differentiated neural cells,and 109 trials that involved non-neural cells in the 7 ND. Encouraging results have been shown in a few early-phase clinical trials that require further investigations in a randomized setting. However, such definitive trials may not be possible given the relative cost of the trials, and in the setting of rare diseases.

Automated summary

Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) encompass a range of clinical conditions affecting the nervous system. Current treatments focus on slowing progression or relieving symptoms, with cellular therapies being explored in clinical trials. Stem cells, both neural and non-neural, derived from various sources have been used in these trials, showing promising results in early-phase studies that warrant further investigation. However, conducting definitive trials may be challenging due to cost and the rarity of these diseases.