Neural Cell Reprogramming as a Novel Genomic Strategy to Treat Neurological Disorders

There are many recognized neurological disorders. Neurological disorders can be categorized according to theprimary type of cause. Neurodegenerative Diseases (ND) are a type of neurological disorders that are associatedwith progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, including death of neurons. Today, there is no definitivetreatment that can cure degenerative diseases, but research is ongoing to find it. A novel research strategy to treatthese diseases is Genetic Cell Reprogramming (GCR). In this strategy a gene set that encodes the transcriptionfactors responsible for the pluripotent state will be expressed artificially, and cells of an adult body such as neuralcells will reprogram into the an embryonic state. These newly reprogrammed cells are capable of differentiatingto any cell type of the body such as neurons and glia. The cells obtained from the GCR process that have beencalled induced Pluri/Multipotent Stem Cells (iP/MSCs) are a valuable tool for cell therapy purposes and/ordeveloping research models for ND. Application of iP/MSCs in the treatment and drug discovery related toneurodegenerative diseases is a new emerging approach that their therapeutic potential is not far from mind. Thisreview discusses the basic and applied aspects of GCR on neurological disorders especially in NDs.

کلیدواژه ها:

Neurological disorders ، Neurodegenerative diseases ، Genetic cell reprogramming