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Implementation Of Stem Cells In Rebuilding The Nervous System : Its Applications

Importance of stem cells in the field of molecular biology and genetic engineering has given a new horizon in the treatment of various neural disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Spinal cord injuries, Multiple Sclerosis, and even Paralyses to some extent. Central nervous system has a non regenerating nature, therefore any disease or disorder, related with the damage of neurons of nervous system becomes very difficult to be cured as such. The implementation of stem cells to rebuild the various neural parts of the nervous system in the adult brain that can give rise to new neurons and there implantation has raised hopes to find ways to actually repair CNS damages. Stem cells are derived from the undifferentiated cells that form a blastocyst and they by nature are divided into three classes of totipotent, pluripotent and multipotent. A totipotent cell has potential to generate an entire organism from it, whereas a pluripotent cell is derived from a totipotent cell and has the capacity to divide and specialize into any of the three main types of body tissue: ectoderm (nervous system and skin tissues), mesoderm (bone, muscle, blood) and endoderm (interior gut lining). The further specialization of a pluripotent cell results in a multipotent cell, which is a stem cell that is limited to various types of types of modified cells. An embryonic stem cell is pluripotent in nature and has ability to develop into any of the 200 types of cells required by the human body. Another special type stem cells known as neural stem cells that are isolated from the midbrain or forebrain of foetus ranging from 7- 23 weeks gestation in the later phase they have the capacity for neural differentiation.Stem cells have three important properties i.e. Plasticity, Homing and Engraftment by virtue of which they can be efficiently employed in treating a wide variety of neural disorders.

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