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Stem cell plasticity and therapy for injuries of the peripheral nervous system.
Tohill MP, Tohill MP, Terenghi G
Biotechnol Appl Biochem. 2004;.
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Abstract
The conceptual therapeutic approach to a diverse range of injuries and diseases has been revolutionised by the expansion in our knowledge of stem cell biology. Avenues have been opened into which previously established laws of lineage restriction in differentiated cells have been questioned. A large body of literature exists describing embryonic stem cells, haematopoietic stem cells, and epithelia which display a rapid turnover i.e. the skin and intestinal epithelium. Discrete stem cell populations have now been identified in more static adult tissues such as adipose tissue and neural tissue. Notwithstanding the biological complexities of characterising such cells, there is qualified excitement at the potential of stem cells to revolutionise our approach to tissue engineering. One such area is that of regeneration in the peripheral nervous system. The dividend of a complex nervous system which primates and other higher species must pay is that the regenerative capacity may never fully approach the complexity necessary to achieve the level of function seen prior to injury. This may be an inherent physiological protection mechanism to prevent excessive unorganised regeneration. Stem cells are the fundamental cellular building blocks of life, they not only coordinate organ growth from embryo to adulthood but they also play an important role in tissue regeneration and repair. This paper reviews the application of stem cell technology to bio-engineered peripheral nerve regeneration, with reference to basic general principles of stem cell biology, neural progenitor cells and bone marrow stromal cells.