Neuronal reprogramming: approaches, challenges, and prospects

The development of technologies and methods for reprogramming cells at different stages of differentiation in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo has become one of the most significant scientific and technological advances of recent decades. Each year, an increasing number of experimental studies report successful direct reprogramming of differentiated cells, including the generation of specialized neurons from glial cells in vivo. These technologies hold the potential to advance regenerative medicine to a fundamentally new level. However, despite the growing understanding of differentiation mechanisms and phenotypic plasticity, as well as expanding capabilities to guide these processes, the clinical application of cellular reprogramming remains a major challenge. This review discusses the definitions of cellular plasticity, recent advances in neuronal cellular reprogramming approaches using direct and indirect methods, and the key barriers to their clinical implementation.