Cell-Based Solutions for Neurologic Disease

Article preview from Medtech Insight - Januray 1, 2011

Emerging tissue-engineering and cell transplantation therapies have the potential to provide solutions to many of the treatment challenges facing neurologists today.

Cell-Based Solutions for Neurologic Disease

Article preview from Medtech Insight - Januray 1, 2011

Emerging tissue-engineering and cell transplantation therapies have the potential to provide solutions to many of the treatment challenges facing neurologists today. Key technologies used in tissue engineering and organ regeneration include biomaterials for the creation of scaffolds to guide tissue growth, cell cultivation technology for expansion of stem cells into complete tissues, and immunoisolation technology to avoid interaction of the immune system with certain implanted materials. A wide variety of synthetic and biologically derived biomaterials are used in tissue-engineering and organ regeneration applications as well as genetically engineered or hybrid materials.

A Significant Market Opportunity

At this point, it is a bit difficult to gauge how large the market for tissue-engineered neurological products will grow, but based on the need, the results are expected to be substantial. The incidence of many neurologic conditions is greatest in the elderly, which is the fastest growing segment of the US population, suggesting a strong and growing market for tissue-engineered solutions. Individuals aged 65 and older currently make up 13.0% of the US population; but by 2050, this number is projected to rise to 20.6%, and the share of people aged 80 and older is expected to double in size—from 3.8% in 2010 to 8.0% in 2050. Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease, and stroke are the three most notorious neurologic conditions affecting the elderly in large numbers and are all huge burdens on society; but others, such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and spinal cord injuries—all of which can strike at younger ages—become more problematic as a patient ages.

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