Application of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Moyamoya Disease: Progress and Promises

Abstract: Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a chronic steno-occlusion cerebrovascular disease, accompanied by the formation of abnormal vascular network at the base of brain. The etiology of MMD is not fully clarified. Lack of pathological specimens hinders the research progress. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived from patients with outstanding differentiation potential and infinite proliferation ability could conquer the problem of insufficient sample. The technology of iPSC holds the promise of clarifying the underlying molecular mechanism in the development of MMD. In this review, we summarized latest progresses and difficulties in the research of mechanism, and detailed the application of iPSC in MMD, aiming to provide an outlook of iPSC in molecular mechanism and novel therapies of MMD.