Adult Stem Cells Restore Function after Stroke

A study has demonstrated the ability of transplanted adult stem cells to restore function in laboratory rats after a stroke. Conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota department of neurosurgery and Stem Cell Institute (Minneapolis, USA), the study was reported in the March 2002 issue of Experimental Neurology.

The stem cells were isolated and expanded from human bone marrow and transplanted into rats seven days after an ischemic stroke injury to the brain. Before the transplant, the rats could not properly use their forelimbs and hind limbs. Weeks after the transplant, they regained use of their limbs. The researchers found that the transplanted cells developed into cells that showed the characteristics of neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendroglia, the major types of cells in the brain. These results suggest that stem cells obtained from bone marrow may be used as a source of cells to repair the brain and restore function in human patients who have had a stroke.

"Can stem cells be transplanted one, two, six, or 12 months after a stroke and still restore function? Another important question that still needs to be addressed for this research is whether bone marrow stem cells maintain a stable neural phenotype over prolonged periods after transplantation,” said Walter Low, Ph.D., a professor of neurosurgery and principal investigator for the study.






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