Study finds stem cell therapy as a potential new pathway for stroke treatment
promising results a stroke therapy using stem cells extracted from bone marrow patients showed in the first trial of its kind in humans.
Five patients received treatment in a pilot study conducted by doctors at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and scientists at Imperial College London.
therapy was deemed safe and all patients showed improvements in clinical disability measures.
results are published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine . It is the first human trial in the UK of a stem cell treatment for acute stroke to publish.
The therapy uses a cell type known CD34 + cells, a set of stem cells in the bone marrow that give rise to blood cells and cells of the blood vessel wall. Previous research has shown that treatment with these cells can significantly improve the recovery from stroke in animals. Rather than develop into brain cells themselves, cells are thought to release chemicals that trigger the growth of new brain tissue and new blood vessels into the damaged area by a stroke.
The patients were treated within seven days of a severe stroke, unlike many other stem cell trials, most treated patients after six months or later. Imperial researchers believe early treatment can improve the chances of a better recovery.
A bone marrow sample was taken from each patient. CD34 + cells were isolated from the sample and then infused into an artery feeding the brain. No previous trial selectively used CD34 + cells, so soon after the race so far.
Although the trial was primarily designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the treatment, all patients showed an improvement in their clinical condition. tests on a six-month follow-up period
four of the five patients had the most serious type of stroke: only four per cent of people who suffer from this kind of stroke should be alive and independent six months later. In the trial, all four of these patients were alive and three were independent at the end of six months
Dr Soma Banerjee, an author and consultant in medicine for stroke at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "This study showed that the treatment appears to be safe and it is possible to treat patients early when they may be more likely to enjoy the improvements we have seen in these patients are very encouraging.. but it is too early to draw definitive conclusions on the effectiveness of the therapy. We need to do more tests to determine the best dose and schedule for treatment before starting larger trials. "
more than 150,000 people have a stroke in the UK each year. Survivors may be affected by a wide range of physical and mental symptoms, and many never recover their independence.
stem cell therapy is considered an exciting new potential avenue of treatment for the race, but its exact role is yet. be clearly defined
Dr. Paul Bentley, also a lead author of the study, the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London, said: "This is the first attempt to isolate stem cells from cord human bone and injected directly into the damaged area of the brain using keyhole techniques. Our group is currently seeking new brain scanning techniques to monitor the effects of the cells once they were injected. "
Professor Nagy Habib, principal investigator of the study, the Department of surgery and cancer at Imperial College London, said: "it's early, but the interesting data worth pursuing scientific evidence from our laboratory further supports the clinical results and our goal is to develop a drug based on factors secreted by the stem. cells, which can be stored in the hospital pharmacy so that it is administered to patients immediately after diagnosis of stroke in the emergency room. This may decrease the minimum time for therapy and thus optimize results. Now the work begins to raise funds for this exciting research. "
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