Stem Cell Treatment for Stroke

New stroke victims number about 800,000 per year in the United States alone. It is also the third-leading cause of death. It disables many survivors in their ability to speak and move. Worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, 15 million people each year suffer strokes, 5 million die from it and 5 million face permanent and severe disability. Medical science's first goal is to help stroke victims survive and lessen damage caused by stroke. Second, is to find treatments to help patients recover their abilities as much as possible. Researchers are testing new stem cell treatments for both reasons. Results of these tests offer hope to all.

Causes

• Strokes are the leading cause of disability in the United States, highest among those 65 years of age and older.

  About 87 percent of strokes are ischemic, when a clot enters the brain and blocks blood vessels. This immediately stops oxygen and nutrients from certain parts of the brain. Within minutes, brain cells deteriorate or die. About 13 percent of strokes are hemorrhagic, when blood vessels in the brain burst. Strokes are the leading cause of serious disability in the United States and many other countries.

Human Experiments

• The London Times reported on a stem-cell operation on a 49-year-old stroke patient in Germany. Scientists with the International Neuroscience Institute in Hanover genetically modified stem cells from his bone marrow, then injected them into his brain. The research’s first purpose was to assess if there were any adverse side effects from the procedure; they found none. As for positive benefits, the lead researcher stated, “We see a path of recovery as good as this only in the minority of patients, so it is an encouraging start.” More treatments with human patients are planned.

Clinical Trials

• Stroke victims face problems like climbing stairs and other everyday activities.

  Medical News Today reported the results of a research trial at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. A 61-year-old stroke patient arrived at the hospital, unable to speak and with substantial weakness on his right side. He received an intravenous injection of his own bone marrow stem cells. After two weeks, he went home, able to walk, climb stairs and beginning to speak again. He was the first patient in a study to involve a total of 10 patients.

Stroke Damage Studies

• California's Stanford University houses a leading medical research facillity.

  The Proceedings of the National Academies of Science reported the findings of researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine in using stem cells for stroke damage. Their purpose was to see if they could heal the gaps in the brain left by stroke damage. Using mouse subjects, the researchers wanted to see if injected cells would migrate to the right sites and then turn into the required cells. Some of the cells did just that. The head of the research team, Gary Steinberg, MD, PhD, concluded: “We’re not saying we can treat patients immediately, but it’s a big step forward. This gives us considerable optimism for these cells.”

Inflammation and Strokes

• The doctors’ first goal is to slow down or stop brain damage during or immediately after a stroke. Stem cell treatments can do that by up to 60 percent, according to recent research. At the Texas A&M University's Institute for Regenerative Medicine, researchers discovered that injected stem cells into a stroke-affected brain reduced inflammation, with some of them changing into new nerve cells. They also stimulated new blood vessels to grow and axons to increase their messaging capability. The experiment was done on six mice, and more animal treatments are planned before proceeding to human studies.

Potential

• Strokes are among the most feared medical problems today. As science progresses with new therapies, including using stem cells, that fear may grow less. A growing number of biotechnical companies are entering the research and development field in using stem cells for strokes.