Imaging in Stem Cell Transplant and Cell-based Therapy

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cells have been extensively studied in several human clinical trials involving multiple
organ systems. Some of the common clinical indications where there has been suc-
cess in human models are described in the following sections and are summarized in
the following Table 4.4.

4.3 Central Nervous System

4.3.1 Brain and Spinal Cord Diseases

Stem cells have found several applications in treating common neurological condi-
tions. Some of the diseases where stem cells have been studied are summarized in
Table 4.5 and a short summary is included below.

4.3.1.1 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

ALS is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive motor
neuron dysfunction and paralysis. While several treatment options have been
described for treatment, due to their immune-modulatory function mesenchymal
stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively studied in halting progression of disease [ 6 ].

Table 4.4 Potential non-hematopoietic applications of stem cells

Central nervous system Alzheimer’s, Multiple sclerosis, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,

Stroke, Spinal cord injury, Autism, hearing loss, cerebral palsy

Musculoskeletal system Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Degenerative disc disease,

Osteogenesis imperfecta, Osteopetrosis, Solid tumors (sarcoma)

Gastrointestinal system Liver disease, Inflammatory bowel disease

Cardiovascular system Acute myocardial infarction, Congestive heart failure

Pulmonary Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Bronchopulmonary

dysplasia

Endocrine disorders Type 1 Diabetes

Autoimmune disorders Systemic lupus erythematosus, Systemic sclerosis

Metabolic disorders Metachromatic leukodystrophy, Hurler syndrome

Table 4.5 Diseases of the
brain and spinal cord where
stem cells are used

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

(ALS)

Multiple sclerosis (MS)

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO)

Alzheimer’s disease (AD)

Spinal cord injury (SCI)

Stroke

R. Ram et al.