Agosti E, Zeppieri M, Pagnoni A, Fontanella MM, Fiorindi A, Ius T, Panciani PP. Current status and future perspectives on stem cell transplantation for spinal cord injury. World J Transplant 2024; 14(1): 89674 [PMID: 38576751 DOI: 10.5500/wjt.v14.i1.89674]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Marco Zeppieri, BSc, MD, PhD, Doctor, Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Udine, p.le S. Maria della Misericordia 15, Udine 33100, Italy. markzeppieri@hotmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Transplantation
Article-Type of This Article
Systematic Reviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Transplant. Mar 18, 2024; 14(1): 89674 Published online Mar 18, 2024. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v14.i1.89674
Current status and future perspectives on stem cell transplantation for spinal cord injury
Edoardo Agosti, Marco Zeppieri, Andrea Pagnoni, Marco Maria Fontanella, Alessandro Fiorindi, Tamara Ius, Pier Paolo Panciani
Edoardo Agosti, Andrea Pagnoni, Alessandro Fiorindi, Pier Paolo Panciani, Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia 25123, Italy
Marco Zeppieri, Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Udine, Udine 33100, Italy
Marco Maria Fontanella, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia 25123, BS, Italy
Tamara Ius, Neurosurgery Unit, Head-Neck and NeuroScience Department, University Hospital of Udine, Udine 33100, Italy
Author contributions: Agosti E wrote the outline, did the research, wrote the paper, and provided the final approval of the version of the article; Zeppieri M assisted in the conception and design of the study, writing, outline, final approval of the version of the article to be published and completed the English and scientific editing; Maria M Fontanella assisted in the editing and making critical revisions of the manuscript; Alessandro F assisted in the writing, editing and making critical revisions of the manuscript; Tamara Ius assisted in the writing, editing and making critical revisions of the manuscript; Panciani PP assisted in the writing, editing and making critical revisions of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the author declare no conflict of interests for this article.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Marco Zeppieri, BSc, MD, PhD, Doctor, Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Udine, p.le S. Maria della Misericordia 15, Udine 33100, Italy. markzeppieri@hotmail.com
Received: November 8, 2023 Peer-review started: November 8, 2023 First decision: November 29, 2023 Revised: December 4, 2023 Accepted: December 29, 2023 Article in press: December 29, 2023 Published online: March 18, 2024
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background
Previous assessments of stem cell therapy for spinal cord injuries (SCI) have encountered challenges and constraints. Current research primarily emphasizes safety in early-phase clinical trials, while systematic reviews prioritize effectiveness, often overlooking safety and translational feasibility.
Research motivation
Current research primarily emphasizes safety in early-phase clinical trials, while systematic reviews prioritize effectiveness, often overlooking safety and translational feasibility.
Research objectives
This study seeks to offer an up-to-date systematic literature review of clinical trial results concerning stem cell therapy for SCI.
Research methods
A systematic search was conducted across major medical databases.
Research results
In a comprehensive review of 66 studies on stem cell therapies for SCI, 496 papers were initially identified, with 237 chosen for full-text analysis. Among them, 236 were deemed eligible after excluding 170 for various reasons.
Research conclusions
In the realm of SCI treatment, stem cell-based therapies show promise, but clinical trials reveal potential adverse events and limitations, underscoring the need for meticulous optimization of transplantation conditions and parameters, caution against swift clinical implementation, a deeper understanding of SCI pathophysiology, and addressing ethical, tumorigenicity, immunogenicity, and immunotoxicity concerns before gradual and careful adoption in clinical practice.
Research perspectives
There is a need for further research to ensure the safety and effectiveness of these therapies for SCI patients, while acknowledging their potential for improving functional outcomes.
