Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Stem Cell’s Perspective

Neurodegenerative diseases encompass a number of very heterogeneous disorders, primarily characterized by neuronal loss and a concomitant decline in neurological function. Examples of this type of clinical condition are Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease and Amyotrophic L...

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Main Authors: Belén Calvo, Pierre Schembri-Wismayer, María Beatriz Durán-Alonso
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Cells
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/5/347
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author Belén Calvo
Pierre Schembri-Wismayer
María Beatriz Durán-Alonso
author_facet Belén Calvo
Pierre Schembri-Wismayer
María Beatriz Durán-Alonso
author_sort Belén Calvo
collection DOAJ
description Neurodegenerative diseases encompass a number of very heterogeneous disorders, primarily characterized by neuronal loss and a concomitant decline in neurological function. Examples of this type of clinical condition are Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Age has been identified as a major risk in the etiology of these disorders, which explains their increased incidence in developed countries. Unfortunately, despite continued and intensive efforts, no cure has yet been found for any of these diseases; reliable markers that allow for an early diagnosis of the disease and the identification of key molecular events leading to disease onset and progression are lacking. Altered adult neurogenesis appears to precede the appearance of severe symptoms. Given the scarcity of human samples and the considerable differences with model species, increasingly complex human stem-cell-based models are being developed. These are shedding light on the molecular alterations that contribute to disease development, facilitating the identification of new clinical targets and providing a screening platform for the testing of candidate drugs. Moreover, the secretome and other promising features of these cell types are being explored, to use them as replacement cells of high plasticity or as co-adjuvant therapy in combinatorial treatments.
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spelling doaj-art-dc13cc189d0649ffa5ae6781fe9926e92025-08-20T02:58:58ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092025-02-0114534710.3390/cells14050347Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Stem Cell’s PerspectiveBelén Calvo0Pierre Schembri-Wismayer1María Beatriz Durán-Alonso2Faculty of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Ávila, 05005 Ávila, SpainDepartment of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, MaltaDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valladolid, 47005 Valladolid, SpainNeurodegenerative diseases encompass a number of very heterogeneous disorders, primarily characterized by neuronal loss and a concomitant decline in neurological function. Examples of this type of clinical condition are Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Age has been identified as a major risk in the etiology of these disorders, which explains their increased incidence in developed countries. Unfortunately, despite continued and intensive efforts, no cure has yet been found for any of these diseases; reliable markers that allow for an early diagnosis of the disease and the identification of key molecular events leading to disease onset and progression are lacking. Altered adult neurogenesis appears to precede the appearance of severe symptoms. Given the scarcity of human samples and the considerable differences with model species, increasingly complex human stem-cell-based models are being developed. These are shedding light on the molecular alterations that contribute to disease development, facilitating the identification of new clinical targets and providing a screening platform for the testing of candidate drugs. Moreover, the secretome and other promising features of these cell types are being explored, to use them as replacement cells of high plasticity or as co-adjuvant therapy in combinatorial treatments.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/5/347neurodegenerative disordersneural stem cellspluripotent stem cellsneurogenesiscell modelsstem-cell-based therapy
spellingShingle Belén Calvo
Pierre Schembri-Wismayer
María Beatriz Durán-Alonso
Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Stem Cell’s Perspective
Cells
neurodegenerative disorders
neural stem cells
pluripotent stem cells
neurogenesis
cell models
stem-cell-based therapy
title Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Stem Cell’s Perspective
title_full Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Stem Cell’s Perspective
title_fullStr Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Stem Cell’s Perspective
title_full_unstemmed Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Stem Cell’s Perspective
title_short Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Stem Cell’s Perspective
title_sort age related neurodegenerative diseases a stem cell s perspective
topic neurodegenerative disorders
neural stem cells
pluripotent stem cells
neurogenesis
cell models
stem-cell-based therapy
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/5/347
work_keys_str_mv AT belencalvo agerelatedneurodegenerativediseasesastemcellsperspective
AT pierreschembriwismayer agerelatedneurodegenerativediseasesastemcellsperspective
AT mariabeatrizduranalonso agerelatedneurodegenerativediseasesastemcellsperspective