Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

Isolation and Characterization of Human Umbilical Cord-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Preterm and Term Infants
07:26

Isolation and Characterization of Human Umbilical Cord-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Preterm and Term Infants

Published on: January 26, 2019

Stem cell therapy for neonatal diseases associated with preterm birth

Alessandro Borghesi1, Claudia Cova, Diego Gazzolo

  • 1Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Laboratory of Neonatal Immunology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.

Journal of Clinical Neonatology
|September 13, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Stem cell therapies show promise for treating extremely preterm infants, potentially preventing lung and brain diseases like bronchopulmonary dysplasia and periventricular leukomalacia by addressing tissue simplification.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Regenerative Medicine
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Antenatal steroids and surfactant improve survival for extremely preterm infants.
  • These infants face high risks of oxidative stress, infection, and subsequent lung/brain diseases.
  • Newer sequelae include bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), characterized by tissue simplification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the potential of stem cell-based therapies for extremely preterm infants.
  • To investigate stem/progenitor cell loss as a cause of tissue simplification in BPD and PVL.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of cell transplantation for preventing/treating BPD, PVL, and other prematurity complications.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent data on stem/progenitor cell populations in developing lungs and brains.
  • Analysis of pathogenesis in new BPD and PVL, focusing on tissue simplification.
  • Consideration of preclinical models for stem cell transplantation protocols.

Main Results:

  • Tissue simplification and developmental arrest are hallmarks of new BPD and PVL.
  • Loss of stem/progenitor cells is implicated in the pathogenesis of tissue simplification.
  • Various cell types (e.g., MSCs, EPCs, HAECs) are candidates for therapeutic transplantation.

Conclusions:

  • Stem cell transplantation holds potential for preventing and treating BPD, PVL, and other sequelae in preterm infants.
  • Further preclinical research is necessary to address issues before clinical translation.
  • Targeting stem/progenitor cell populations may offer a novel therapeutic strategy.

Keywords:
Bronchopulmonary dysplasiaEPCMSCbronchopulmonaryendothelialmesenchymalnewbornperiventricular leukomalaciapretermprogenitor cellsstem cells

More Related Videos

Neonatal Cardiac Scaffolds: Novel Matrices for Regenerative Studies08:16

Neonatal Cardiac Scaffolds: Novel Matrices for Regenerative Studies

Published on: November 5, 2016

High Throughput Characterization of Adult Stem Cells Engineered for Delivery of Therapeutic Factors for Neuroprotective Strategies09:19

High Throughput Characterization of Adult Stem Cells Engineered for Delivery of Therapeutic Factors for Neuroprotective Strategies

Published on: January 4, 2015

Related Concept Videos

Stem Cell Therapy for Tissue Regeneration01:21

Stem Cell Therapy for Tissue Regeneration

Stem cell therapy is a method used in regenerative medicine to repair and restore function to damaged tissues and organs. Stem cells have the potential to proliferate and differentiate into various tissue types, making them ideal candidates for tissue regeneration. For example, hematopoietic stem cell transplants are commonly used in blood cancer treatment to replenish damaged bone marrow and restore healthy blood cells.
Types of Stem Cells used in Stem Cell Therapy
The two main cell types that...
Stem Cell Culture01:17

Stem Cell Culture

Stem cell research aims to find ways to use stem cells to regenerate and repair cellular damage. Over time, most adult cells undergo the wear and tear of aging and lose their ability to divide and repair themselves. Stem cells do not display a particular morphology or function. Adult stem cells, which exist as a small subset of cells in most tissues, keep dividing and can differentiate into a number of specialized cells generally formed by that tissue. These cells enable the body to renew and...
Embryonic Stem Cells00:57

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells were first discovered in mice in 1981 by Martin Evans. In 1998, James Thomson identified a method to isolate embryonic stem cells from humans. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are obtained from 3-5 day old embryos that remain unused after an in vitro fertilization procedure.
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
Embryonic Stem Cells00:58

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated pluripotent cells, meaning they can produce any cell type in the body. This gives them tremendous potential in science and medicine since they can generate specific cell types for use in research or to replace body cells lost due to damage or disease.
iPS Cell Differentiation01:22

iPS Cell Differentiation

The ability of induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs to differentiate into most body cell types has stimulated repair and regenerative medicine research over the past few decades. iPSC-derived blood cells, hepatocytes, beta islet cells, cardiomyocytes, neurons, and other cell types can repair injuries or regenerate damaged tissue in diseases such as diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders.