Choudhery MS, Arif T, Mahmood R. Aging puzzle: A closer look on the complex dilemma of autologous stem cell therapy. World J Stem Cells 2026; 18(1): 114119 [DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v18.i1.114119]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Mahmood S Choudhery, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Health Sciences Lahore, Khayaban-e-Jamia Punjab, Block D Muslim Town, Lahore 56000, Punjab, Pakistan. ms20031@yahoo.com
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Jan 26, 2026 (publication date) through Jan 26, 2026
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World Journal of Stem Cells
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Choudhery MS, Arif T, Mahmood R. Aging puzzle: A closer look on the complex dilemma of autologous stem cell therapy. World J Stem Cells 2026; 18(1): 114119 [DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v18.i1.114119]
World J Stem Cells. Jan 26, 2026; 18(1): 114119 Published online Jan 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v18.i1.114119
Aging puzzle: A closer look on the complex dilemma of autologous stem cell therapy
Mahmood S Choudhery, Taqdees Arif, Ruhma Mahmood
Mahmood S Choudhery, Taqdees Arif, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Health Sciences Lahore, Lahore 56000, Punjab, Pakistan
Ruhma Mahmood, Department of Pathology, Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore 56000, Punjab, Pakistan
Author contributions: Choudhery MS, Arif T, and Mahmood R conceptualized the manuscript; Arif T and Mahmood R wrote the original version of the manuscript and revised the manuscript; Arif T prepared, designed, and modified the figures; Choudhery MS critically reviewed the manuscript. All authors reviewed, read and agreed to the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mahmood S Choudhery, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Health Sciences Lahore, Khayaban-e-Jamia Punjab, Block D Muslim Town, Lahore 56000, Punjab, Pakistan. ms20031@yahoo.com
Received: September 12, 2025 Revised: October 15, 2025 Accepted: November 24, 2025 Published online: January 26, 2026 Processing time: 130 Days and 16.9 Hours
Abstract
Regenerative medicine is a promising therapeutic avenue for previously incurable diseases. As the risk of chronic and degenerative diseases significantly increases with age, the elderly population represents a major cohort for stem cell-based therapies. However, the regenerative potential of stem cells significantly decreases with advanced age and deteriorating health status of the donor. Therefore, the efficacy of autologous stem cell therapy is significantly compromised in older patients. To overcome these limitations, alternative strategies have been used to restore the age- and disease-depleted function of stem cells. These methods aim to restore the therapeutic efficacy of aged stem cells for autologous use. This article explores the effect of donor age and health status on the regenerative potential of stem cells. It further highlights the limitations of stem cell-based therapy for autologous treatment in the elderly. A comprehensive insight into the potential strategies to address the “age” and “disease” compromised regenerative potential of autologous stem cells is also presented. The information provided here serves as a valuable resource for physicians and patients for optimization of stem cell-based autologous therapy for aged patients.
Core Tip: Stem cell-based therapies, particularly autologous stem cell therapy, hold strong promise for treating age-related degenerative diseases by reducing the risk of immune rejection and graft-vs-host disease. However, the therapeutic efficacy of patient-derived stem cells is often compromised by aging and disease-related decline in their regenerative capacity. To address these limitations, several strategies have been developed, including hypoxic preconditioning, genetic modification, growth factor supplementation, three-dimensional culturing, hybrid approaches, use of bioactive compounds, mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes, targeted activation of signaling pathways and cryopreservation of youthful stem cells. These approaches aim to restore or preserve stem cell functionality, enhancing therapeutic outcomes in elderly patients.
