Hematopoietic stem cells against stroke
Stroke therapy with stem cells was first tested on humans
Medical Xpress news: Stem cells show promise for stroke in pilot studyIn the UK, for the first time in the world, a clinical trial was conducted for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke with stem cells isolated from the bone marrow of patients.
His results, published in the journal Stem CellsTranslational Medicine (Banerjee et al., Intra-Arterial Immunoselected CD34+ Stem Cells for Acute Ischemic Stroke), were recognized as successful – the therapy did not cause additional damage to the health of five participants, and their condition significantly improved.
Until now, the possibilities of using hematopoietic (hematopoietic) CD34+ stem cells in ischemic stroke have been studied only on animal models of the disease, which allowed us to prove the effectiveness of this method. It was found that this type of bone marrow stem cells, when injected into the affected area during hemorrhage in the brain, trigger the process of growth of new vessels and tissues in it.
A group of doctors and scientists from Imperial College London, led by Professor Nagy Habib, selected five patients with severe ischemic stroke in the internal carotid artery basin for the first human trials of the method. CD34+ cells obtained from the patients' bone marrow were injected into the middle cerebral artery very early, within a week after the stroke, using an angiographic catheter.
The procedure was well tolerated by all patients, no serious side effects of therapy were noted. Moreover, six months after the injection of stem cells, clinical tests showed a significant improvement in the condition of the test participants – a reduction in the area of brain damage and good indicators of the functioning of the body. As the authors note, the initial severity of the condition of four patients did not inspire hopes not only for improvement, but even for their survival, the more significant the results demonstrated by therapy.
At the same time, although the results of the first clinical trial of the method inspire optimism, it is too early to draw certain conclusions about the degree of its effectiveness, according to one of the authors, Soma Banerjee. Before the start of larger-scale trials, it is necessary to determine more precisely the dosage, regimen and area of administration of stem cells, as well as other important parameters of therapy.
The long–term plans of the Habib group include the development of a drug whose action will be based on chemical factors secreted by stem cells. In the future, such a drug can be administered to patients with acute stroke immediately after diagnosis right in the hospital waiting room, Habib predicts.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru21.08.2014