Stem Cells and Peripheral Nerve Injury: Potential and Challenges

Peripheral nerve injury had significant societal and economic impacts, with autografting being the gold standard treatment despite its limitations. Various stem cells, including pluripotent stem cells, bone marrow mesenchymal cells, adipose-derived stem cells, skin-derived precursor cells, and hair follicle pluripotent stem cells, could be induced into Schwann cells or Schwann cell-like phenotypes. These cells, when used with artificial nerve graft conduits, improved recovery in animal models. However, questions about the survival, differentiation, and safety of these therapies remained, and no cell-based therapies had been translated to humans yet, though the potential for stem cell-based therapy was promising.