In search of human oligodendroglia for myelin repair

Cell therapy appears as an exciting strategy for myelin repair in pathologies where oligodendrocytes are deficient or impaired, such as leucodystrophies and multiple sclerosis. Many studies indicate that several types of rodent cells, including neural stem and progenitor cells, play a beneficial role after grafting and induce functional recovery in animal models of myelin disorders. However, the difficulties to commit human neural stem cells towards the oligodendroglial lineage have long hampered human cell-based therapy for these diseases. In this review, we present recent advances in the field and discuss the various strategies that helped overcome the challenge of human oligodendroglial differentiation.