The Current Concept for Stem Cell Therapy in Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Spinal cord injury with neurological deficits is devastating to patients and their families. After the immediate treatment that may involve spinal decompression and stabilization surgeries, patients are typically left with long-term disability. Intense research has focused on spinal cord regeneration, tissue repair, and reinnervation to improve function. Stem cell-based therapies are at the center of this effort. This chapter summarizes common spinal cord injury (SCI) patterns, including complete and incomplete SCIs, and their classification-based prognosis and treatments. They review the types of stem cells used in preclinical and clinical trials in the treatment of SCI and the associated ethical concerns and summarize the current state of the art of stem cellbased SCI treatments.

Keywords: Classification, Prognosis, Spinal cord injury, Stem cells, Treatment.

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