Clinical Systematic Review
Stem cell therapy in intestinal motor disorders
Teresa Di Chio, Marcella Pesce, Osvaldo Borrelli
1Division of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, United Kingdom; Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom.
Current therapeutic interventions for paediatric motility disorders are very limited and have palliative rather than curative purposes. Available interventions, indeed, include medical management such as pharmacotherapy and/or specialized (including parenteral) nutrition and surgery and their main aim is to minimize complications and ameliorate quality of life. Hence, there is a real need for alternative approaches to treat these devastating diseases. Recent advances in our understanding of gut development, the identification of gut stem cells and tremendous progress in pluripotent stem cell manipulation have driven investigations into the potential of stem cellbased therapies for the treatment paediatric motility disorders. This article summarizes the preclinical studies regarding the use of stem cell therapy in paediatric motor disorders.