Bladder: Development and Regeneration Potential

Since the discovery of stem cells and the understanding of their propensity for self-renewal and differentiation into a variety of cell progenitors, [Page 87]there has been promise for use in cell therapy. The pluripotent nature of stem cells has made them a target for research and development in pathologies affecting all parts of the human body, including the urinary bladder. Urologists have traditionally treated bladder replacement with complicated bowel resection or with less invasive methods such as autologous urothelial or smooth muscle cells. However, this method is not effective in patients where the cells are compromised, like cancer. However, new research has shown that using bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from the skin could have a great ...