Biology and Medicine

Applications of Stem Cell Therapy for Treatment of Parkinson's Disease

Lauriane Harrington^* Department of Medicine, Laval University, Quebec, Canada
^*Correspondence: Lauriane Harrington, Department of Medicine, Laval University, Quebec, Canada, Email:

Received: 25-Jan-2023, Manuscript No. BLM-23-20099; Editor assigned: 30-Jan-2023, Pre QC No. BLM-23-20099(PQ); Reviewed: 14-Jan-2023, QC No. BLM-23-20099; Revised: 21-Jan-2023, Manuscript No. BLM-23-20099(R); Published: 28-Jan-2023, DOI: 10.35248/0974-8369.23.15.533

Description

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the nervous system that affects movement, causing tremors, rigidity, and difficulty with coordination and balance. It is caused by the progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra, a region of the brain responsible for controlling movement. Current treatments for PD aim to alleviate symptoms, but they do not explain the underlying cause of the disease. However, advances in stem cell research have shown promising results in using stem cell therapies to treat parkinson's disease. Stem cell therapy involves the use of stem cells to replace or repair damaged cells or tissues in the body. Stem cells have the unique ability to differentiate into various types of cells, including neurons, which make them an attractive candidate for treating Parkinson's disease. There are different types of stem cells, including Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs), Induced Pluripotent Stem cells (IPSCs), and adult stem cells. Each of these types of stem cells has its advantages and disadvantages, but IPSCs and adult stem cells are the most commonly used in clinical trials for Parkinson's disease.

Induced Pluripotent Stem cells (IPSCs) are adult cells that have been reprogrammed to a pluripotent state, allowing them to differentiate into any cell type in the body. IPSCs can be derived from the patient's own skin or blood cells, which reduce the risk of immune rejection. In Parkinson's disease, IPSCs have been used to produce dopamine-producing neurons that can be transplanted into the patient's brain. In a clinical trial conducted in Japan, IPSC-derived dopamine-producing neurons were transplanted into the brains of PD patients, and the results showed that the therapy was safe and improved the patients' symptoms. Adult stem cells are found in various tissues in the body, including bone marrow and adipose tissue. These stem cells can differentiate into various cell types, including neurons.

Another application of stem cell therapy for Parkinson's disease is the use of stem cells to produce dopamine-secreting cells outside the body, which can then be implanted into the brain. Researchers are exploring the use of gene editing to produce dopamine-secreting cells from stem cells that are resistant to immune rejection, allowing for the creation of a universal donor cell line for Parkinson's disease.

In addition to cell replacement therapy, stem cells are also being used to develop new drugs and to better understand the underlying mechanisms of Parkinson's disease. IPSCs derived from PD patients can be used to produce disease models, which can help researchers to understand the disease's mechanisms and test new drugs. This approach is also being used to develop personalized medicine for Parkinson's disease, where IPSCs derived from a patient can be used to produce a disease model and test drugs specific to that patient's condition. Stem cell therapies offer promising applications for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. While there are still challenges to overcome, including safety concerns and the need for further clinical trials, stem cell therapies have the potential to provide a cure for Parkinson's disease by replacing or repairing the damaged neurons in the brain. As research in stem cell therapy advances, there are chances to develop effective and personalized treatments for Parkinson's disease that improve patients' quality of life.