Donor-derived brain tumor following neural stem cell transplantation in an ataxia telangiectasia patient.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Neural stem cells are currently being investigated as potential therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, and trauma. However, concerns have been raised over the safety of this experimental therapeutic approach, including, for example, whether there is the potential for tumors to develop from transplanted stem cells.

Methods and findings

A boy with ataxia telangiectasia (AT) was treated with intracerebellar and intrathecal injection of human fetal neural stem cells. Four years after the first treatment he was diagnosed with a multifocal brain tumor. The biopsied tumor was diagnosed as a glioneuronal neoplasm. We compared the tumor cells and the patient's peripheral blood cells by fluorescent in situ hybridization using X and Y chromosome probes, by PCR for

SUBMITTER: Amariglio N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2642879 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature