Cell Therapy; A New and Safe Strategy for the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury: A Review

Background: Spinal cord injury is a progressive process that initially causes abnormal nerve connections. Following spinal cord injury, the spinal cord is impaired after which cell death and apoptosis occurs. Primary damage happens in the spinal cord due to the demyelization of the large axons. Cell therapy is among the new strategies that have been considered for the treatment of neural injuries in recent years. Aim: In this narrative review article, we discuss "Cell Therapy" as a new and safe strategy for the treatment of spinal cord injury. we are going to explain the epidemiological and pathophysiological aspects of spinal cord injuries (SCI) as well as SCI experimental and clinical stem cell strategies. Conclusion: There are several promising advancements and findings in the field of stem cell biology and cell reprogramming, with the aim of treating patients with SCI via stem cell therapy. We reviewed critical issues for clinical translation and we also provided a commentary on recent developments such as termination of the first human embryonic stem cell transplantation trial in human SCI.