Glial cell transplant for brain diseases: the supportive saviours?

Abstract The incidence of brain diseases in humans is increasing as we experience a worldwide ageing of the population. Treatment for such diseases is still only symptomatic as there are almost no disease-modifying therapies available. Further, since treatment often starts when symptoms appear which is only at a late stage of pathology, we need treatments that will create new cells or restore function to still living cells. Cell transplant therapy, where neuronal progenitor cells derived from stem cells are transplanted to the brain, has seen experimental success. And though there has been some clinical progress, there is still no available therapy. While through the years brain research has focused on neurons, it is now shifting to the so-called support cells of the brain, glia. In neurodegenerative diseases and stroke, glia play roles in the pathogenesis of disease. Therefore, replacing them or enhancing their functions to ultimately save or restore neurons is a new avenue of research that has gained traction in recent years. In this review, we present the current state-of-the-art on transplantation of glia cells, feasibility of this as a therapy, and upcoming directions in the field.