Researchers in the United States have made a significant breakthrough in the treatment of stroke patients. Using a stem cell transplant, they were about to restore some motor function to stroke patients who had been disabled by their stroke.
Some of the stroke patients were able to walk again after receiving the stem cell transplant — a very exciting outcome from the trial. The researchers found that a stem cell transplant of SB623 stem cells helped repair the parts of the brain that control motor function. The findings were recently published in the journal Stroke.
While the trial only had a small number of participants, the results are very encouraging for researchers. If a reliable stem cell treatment can be developed from these findings, it could dramatically change the lives of millions of stroke patients around the world. In the United States alone, almost 800,000 people have a stroke each year.
The most common form of stroke is an Ischaemic stroke, which interrupts the flow of blood to the brain. This form of stroke is usually caused by a blood clot and accounts for 87% of all strokes. The other type of stroke is called a Hemorrhagic stroke and results from ruptured blood vessels in the brain.
A stroke can affect people in different ways. It often causes a loss of mobility, difficulty speaking and an inability to walk. Two-thirds of people who survive a stroke will be left with some form of permanent disability.
If a patient is brought to a hospital within a few hours of a stroke, drugs can be used to dissolve clots and hopefully avoid any long term damage. Unfortunately, most people cannot get to a hospital in time.
This study consisted of 18 participants with an average age of 61. Most had experienced a stroke recently — in between 6 months and 3 years earlier. The stem cell treatment involved drilling a tiny hole in the patient’s head and injecting stroke-damaged areas with SB623 stem cells. These stem cells are modified mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) which were collected from the patient’s bone marrow.
Within a month researchers began to see improvements in all patients. A few months later some patients who were confined to wheelchairs began to walk! These findings are certainly exciting and give stroke sufferers around the world great hope.
Source: Stroke patients able to walk again after stem cell transplant
{{cta(‘010124f3-c9bc-4a23-b9fc-74953e6288c9’)}}