Stem Cell Exhaustion and Reduced Tissue Repair in Ageing, Cancer, and Degenerative Diseases

Stem cell exhaustion - the loss of functional stem cell numbers and their regenerative capacity - is a central trademark for cellular ageing and a key contributor to impaired and affected tissue repairs in many degenerative diseases and cancer. This paper will discuss the cellular and molecular understanding of the mechanisms that drive stem dysfunction (DNA damage, condensation of telomeres) and examine how exhaustion contributes to degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.