Abstract
In addition to stem cells providing a better understanding about the biology and origins of gliomas, new therapeutic approaches have been developed based on the use of stem cells as delivery vehicles. The unique ability of stem cells to track down tumor cells makes them a very appealing therapeutic modality. This review introduces neural and mesenchymal stem cells, discusses the advances that have been made in the utilization of these stem cells as therapies and in diagnostic imaging (to track the advancement of the stem cells towards the tumor cells), and concludes by addressing various challenges and concerns regarding these therapies.
Acknowledgements
We apologize to those authors whose studies we could not cite due to space limitations.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
This work was supported by grants from the Maryland Stem Cell Foundation and NIH KO8. Moreover, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute has generously supported the work of Thomas Kosztowski, Hasan Zaidi and Alfredo Quinoñes-Hinojosa. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.