New stem cells treatment for stroke patients

Indian scientists are announcing great news lately. Their results are amazing in all fields of science — from nanotechnology to stem cells. The latest research was a mice experiment where they successfully used stem cells to treat brain damage caused by a stroke. This is of huge importance because human patients in the same situation suffer from permanent paralysis, disability and dependence on others.

“We discovered that the stem cells we developed, when injected in the damaged portion of the brain, really did trigger development of new brain cells without any life-threatening side effects,” said S. Prabhakar, head of the department of neurology at one of the largest Indian universities.
“This is the first time that interactions between the two kinds of cells (injected cells and host cells) worked out,” he said.
The process started by injecting human stem cells into adult mice after deliberately inducing a brain stroke in them. The stroke was caused by cutting the blood supply to the brain for fifteen minutes, and then restoring it. After a week, they injected the stem cells, and the responses improved significantly.

The study will be tested all across India — in 5 largest clinical centers. The trials are supposed to begin in mid-January.

How does a brain stroke occur? A blood vessel carrying oxygen and other nutrients to the brain gets blocked by a clot or bursts, and that causes the brain to starve. There are two types of strokes — in the first one, blood clots in vessels leading to blocking of the brain arteries, while the second type occurs when a blood vessel ruptures causing a bleeding also known as hemorrhagic stroke.

This research is of huge importance for India, simply because it is the third largest killer in India, right behind heart attack and cancer.

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