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Tolerance strategies for stem-cell-based therapies

Nature volume 453, pages 330–337 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

There is much interest in using embryonic stem cells to regenerate tissues and organs. For this approach to succeed, these stem cells or their derivatives must engraft in patients over the long term. Unless a cell transplant is derived from the patient's own cells, however, the cells will be targeted for rejection by the immune system. Although standard methods for suppressing the immune system achieve some success, rejection of the transplant is inevitable. Emerging approaches to address this issue include 're-educating' the immune system to induce tolerance to foreign cells and reducing the immune targeting of the transplant by administering 'self stem cells' instead of foreign cells, but each of these approaches has associated challenges.

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Figure 1: Sources of stem cells.
Figure 2: Direct and indirect rejection of a transplant.
Figure 3: Generating mixed haematopoietic chimaerism to induce tolerance.
Figure 4: Generating mixed epithelial chimaerism to induce tolerance.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge generous research support from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the Australian Stem Cell Centre and Norwood Immunology.

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  1. Alan Trounson

    Present address: Present address: California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, 210 King Street, San Francisco, California 94107, USA.,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, Building 75, STRIP, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, 3800, Victoria, Australia

    Ann P. Chidgey, Daniel Layton, Alan Trounson & Richard L. Boyd

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Competing interests

R.L.B. is chief scientific officer, and A.P.C. is a scientific consultant, for Norwood Immunology, which funds the clinical trials of LHRH-A cited in this review.

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Correspondence should be addressed to A.C. (ann.chidgey@med.monash.edu.au).

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Chidgey, A., Layton, D., Trounson, A. et al. Tolerance strategies for stem-cell-based therapies. Nature 453, 330–337 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07041

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