Stem cell therapies for neuropathic pain

Neuropathic pain is a large-scale epidemiological problem affecting 13-26% of the diabetic population. The complex aetiology and pathophysiology coupled with the lack of a diagnostic test for the underlying cause renders the assessment of neuropathic pain subjective and the treatment difficult, especially as current licensed treatments are limited in their application towards the attainment of palliation. Cell therapies offer a novel curative therapeutic dimension for neuropathic pain. This is based on replacing damaged neuronal tissue, protecting against progressive nerve damage, and releasing soluble factors that act in a paracrine or endocrine manner, which facilitate repair and reversal of the pathology that underlies the genesis and propagation of damage within the somatosensory system. Cell therapies with potential utility for the treatment of neuropathic pain include embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells.