Stem Cells for Urinary Incontinence: Functional Differentiation or Cytokine Effects?

Minimally-invasive stem cell therapy for stress urinary incontinence may provide an effective nonsurgical treatment for this common condition. Clinical trials of periurethral stem cell injection have been underway and basic science research has demonstrated the efficacy of both local and systemic stem cell therapies. Results differ as to whether stem cells have a therapeutic effect by differentiating into permanent, functional tissues, or whether they exert benefits through a transient presence and the secretion of regenerative factors. This review explores the fate of therapeutic stem cells for stress urinary incontinence and how this may relate to their mechanism of action.

Urology. 2018 Jan 12 [Epub ahead of print]

Bradley C Gill, Daniel Z Sun, Margot S Damaser

Department of Urology, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH; Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH., Department of Urology, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH., Department of Urology, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH; Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH; Advanced Platform Technology Center, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH. Electronic address: .