STEM CELL THERAPY: CANCER TREATMET

Anjula Sachan, Sarvesh Singh, Pratap Shankar*, Dheeraj Kumar Singh, Rajendra Nath, Amod Kumar Sachan and Rakesh Kumar Dixit

ABSTRACT

As our understanding of stem-cell behavior rapidly increases, more and more reports suggest that use of stem-cell therapy will extend well beyond regenerative medicine in the near future. Due to their inherent tumoritropic migratory properties, stem cells can serve as vehicles for the delivery of effective, targeted treatment to isolated tumors and to metastatic disease. In vitro, stem cells can readily be engineered by inserting specifically tailored transgenes with anti-tumor effects to create tumor-seeking therapeutic vehicles. More recently, the specific tumor-oriented migration and incorporation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been demonstrated in various pre-clinical models, highlighting the potential for MSCs to be used as an ideal carrier for anti-cancer gene delivery. Engineered MSCs are capable of producing specific anti-cancer agents locally and constantly. Astute investigation on engineered MSCs may lead to a new avenue toward an efficient therapy for patients with cancer. In the present review, we will explore about stem cells, anti-cancer effects and the recent developments.

Keywords: Tumor-oriented migration and incorporation of mesenchymal stem cells.