Exciting Research May Create Repair For Lost Functions Associated With Stroke

Preclinical research currently being carried out by a team of scientists in the UK may have positive implications in the area of brain tissue regeneration associated with strokes and other neurodegenerative diseases.

A collaborative team of scientists from the Institute of Psychiatry and the University of Nottingham are in the process of developing a way to inject particles into the brain that would support tissue regeneration capabilities of Neural Stem Cells (NSC), which have shown efficacy in the stroke-damaged brains of rats in preclinical studies. The problems with the NSC is that although there was tissue regeneration in the rats, there was no framework, or scaffolding, to hold the NSC until they could complete their work and connect with the surrounding healthy tissue of the brain. Dr. Mike Modo and Professor’s Jack Price and Kevin Shakesheff are working on a cell-scaffolding that can be injected into the areas of the brain where the NSC will be transplanted, providing such a framework. According to Dr. Modo

"We propose that using scaffold particles could support NSCs in the cavity to re-form the lost tissue and provide a more complete functional repair. The ultimate aim is to establish if this approach can provide a more efficient and effective repair process in stroke."

A stroke, caused by either a clot or other neurological shut-down such as neuron misfiring that temporarily shut off an individuals blood supply to the brain, resulting in areas of brain tissue dying. Strokes can cause temporary or permanent loss of body functions such as speech or movement. The findings of this team of researchers opens pathways to helping thousands who have been affected by strokes through potential clinical studies and medical advancements. They will be presenting their research at the UK National Stem Cell Network Inaugural Science Meeting today in Edinburgh.