Stem Cells Hold Promise for Stroke

In a pilot study conducted by doctors at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and scientists at Imperial College London (United Kingdom), 5 patients received a stroke therapy using stem cells extracted from patients' bone marrow.  The therapy was found to be safe, and all the patients showed improvements in clinical measures of disability. The therapy uses a type of cell called CD34+ cells, a set of stem cells in the bone marrow that give rise to blood cells and blood vessel lining cells. The patients were treated within seven days of a severe stroke, in contrast to several other stem cell trials, most of which have treated patients after six months or later.  A bone marrow sample was taken from each patient. The CD34+ cells were isolated from the sample and then infused into an artery that supplies the brain. The patients all showed improvements in their condition in clinical tests over a six-month follow-up period. The study authors report that: “Autologous CD34+ selected stem/progenitor cell therapy delivered intra-arterially into the infarct territory can be achieved safely in patients with acute ischemic stroke.”