Current Trends and Prospect of Cell Therapy using Hematopoietic Stem Cells

ABSTRACT

Stem cell therapy is providing a new paradigm of medical approach in many intractable diseases by regenerating injured or degenerated tissues and is opening the era of regenerative medicine. While the validity of newly discovered multipotentiality of various stem cells are still under investigation, scientists are making a significant progress in the medical application of stem cell therapy in the area of adult stem cell therapy, particularly using the hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells. These hematopoietic stem cells could be useful in cell therapies for liver diseases, heart diseases and neuronal diseases. Furthermore, due to their ability to induce donor-specific immune tolerance, these cells can be used in organ transplantation and autoimmune diseases. With further development of a high-performance cell therapeutic strategy, more intractable disease will be managed by stem cell therapy.