Stem cell therapies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: current status of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials.

ABSTRACT: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a respiratory disease that has a major impact worldwide. The currently-available drugs mainly focus on relieving the symptoms of COPD patients. Novel regenerative therapeutic approaches have been investigated with the aim of repairing or replacing the injured functional structures of the respiratory system. We summarized the progress made by regenerative therapies for COPD by analyzing results from both pre-clinical studies and completed clinical trials. These approaches include the application of exogenous stem cells or small molecules to stimulate the regeneration by endogenous lung stem/progenitor cells. Exogenous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been reported to repair the structure and improve the function of the injured respiratory sy

SUBMITTER: Sun Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5864644 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature