scholarly journals A Look into Stem Cell Therapy: Exploring the Options for Treatment of Ischemic Stroke

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cesar Reis ◽  
Michael Wilkinson ◽  
Haley Reis ◽  
Onat Akyol ◽  
Vadim Gospodarev ◽  
...  

Neural stem cells (NSCs) offer a potential therapeutic benefit in the recovery from ischemic stroke. Understanding the role of endogenous neural stem and progenitor cells under normal physiological conditions aids in analyzing their effects after ischemic injury, including their impact on functional recovery and neurogenesis at the site of injury. Recent animal studies have utilized unique subsets of exogenous and endogenous stem cells as well as preconditioning with pharmacologic agents to better understand the best situation for stem cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. These stem cell therapies provide a promising effect on stimulation of endogenous neurogenesis, neuroprotection, anti-inflammatory effects, and improved cell survival rates. Clinical trials performed using various stem cell types show promising results to their safety and effectiveness on reducing the effects of ischemic stroke in humans. Another important aspect of stem cell therapy discussed in this review is tracking endogenous and exogenous NSCs with magnetic resonance imaging. This review explores the pathophysiology of NSCs on ischemic stroke, stem cell therapy studies and their effects on neurogenesis, the most recent clinical trials, and techniques to track and monitor the progress of endogenous and exogenous stem cells.

RSC Advances ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (30) ◽  
pp. 18668-18680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh H. Chan ◽  
Connor A. Wathen ◽  
Ming Ni ◽  
Shuangmu Zhuo

We report the facilitation of stem cell therapy in stroke by tissue engineering and applications of biomaterials.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Shantha A R

Stem cells are the building blocks of life. They have remarkable potential to regenerate and develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. They are also a class of undifferentiated cells that are able to be differentiated into specialized cells types. Stem cells are characterized by certain features such as totipotency, pluripotency, multipotency, oligopotent and unipotency. The history of stem cell research had an embryonic beginning in the mid 1800s with the discovery that few cells could generate other cells. In the 1900s the first stem cells were discovered when it was found that cells generate blood cells. Nowadays, stem cell therapy is under research and till now, a very few stem cell therapies have been regarded as safe and successful. It is also found that stem cell therapy cast a number of side effects too. The cost of the procedure too is expensive and is not easily affordable.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wonjae Lee ◽  
Zhonlin Lyu ◽  
Jon Park ◽  
Kwang-Min Kim ◽  
Hye-jin Jin ◽  
...  

Abstract Stem cell therapy is emerging as a promising treatment option to restore a neurological function after ischemic stroke. Despite the growing number of candidate stem cell types, each with unique characteristics, there is a lack of experimental platform to systematically evaluate their neurorestorative potential. When stem cells are transplanted into ischemic brain, the therapeutic efficacy primarily depends on the response of the neurovascular unit (NVU) to these extraneous cells. In this work, we developed an ischemic stroke microphysiological system (MPS) with a functional NVU on a microfluidic chip. Our new chip design facilitated the incorporated cells to form a functional blood-brain barrier (BBB) and restore their in vivo-like behaviors in both healthy and ischemic conditions. We utilized this MPS to track the transplanted stem cells and characterize their neurorestorative behaviors reflected in gene expression levels. Each type of stem cells showed unique neurorestorative effects, primarily through supporting the endogenous recovery, rather than through direct cell replacement. And the recovery of synaptic activities, critical for neurological function, was more tightly correlated with the recovery of the structural and functional integrity in NVU, rather than with the regeneration of neurons itself.


2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 679-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rukmani Sridharan ◽  
Jeffrey M. Karp ◽  
Weian Zhao

For the last decade, stem cell therapies have demonstrated enormous potential for solving some of the most tragic illnesses, diseases and tissue defects worldwide. Currently, more than 1300 clinical trials use stem cell therapy to solve a spectrum of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, Jan 2014, search term: stem cell therapy; only currently recruiting and completed studies are included in the search). However, the efficacy of stem cell transplantation in patients has not been well established, and recent clinical trials have produced mixed results. We attribute this lack of efficacy in part to an incomplete understanding of the fate of stem cells following transplantation and the lack of control over cell fate, especially cell-homing and therapeutic functions. In the present review, we present two of our recently developed technologies that aim to address the above-mentioned bottlenecks in stem cell therapy specifically in the areas of MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells): (i) aptamer-based cell-surface sensors to study cellular microenvironments, and (ii) mRNA engineering technology to enhance the homing and immunomodulatory efficacy of transplanted stem cells. The first engineering strategy aims to elucidate the basic cellular signalling that occurs in the microenvironment of transplanted stem cells in real time. The second technique involves a simple mRNA transfection that improves the homing and anti-inflammatory capability of MSCs. Although we have specifically applied these engineering techniques to MSCs, these strategies can be incorporated for almost any cell type to determine and control the fate of transplanted stem cells.


Author(s):  
Guoyang Zhou ◽  
Yongjie Wang ◽  
Shiqi Gao ◽  
Xiongjie Fu ◽  
Yang Cao ◽  
...  

Ischemic stroke (IS) remains one of the major causes of death and disability due to the limited ability of central nervous system cells to regenerate and differentiate. Although several advances have been made in stroke therapies in the last decades, there are only a few approaches available to improve IS outcome. In the acute phase of IS, mechanical thrombectomy and the administration of tissue plasminogen activator have been widely used, while aspirin or clopidogrel represents the main therapy used in the subacute or chronic phase. However, in most cases, stroke patients fail to achieve satisfactory functional recovery under the treatments mentioned above. Recently, cell therapy, especially stem cell therapy, has been considered as a novel and potential therapeutic strategy to improve stroke outcome through mechanisms, including cell differentiation, cell replacement, immunomodulation, neural circuit reconstruction, and protective factor release. Different stem cell types, such as mesenchymal stem cells, marrow mononuclear cells, and neural stem cells, have also been considered for stroke therapy. In recent years, many clinical and preclinical studies on cell therapy have been carried out, and numerous results have shown that cell therapy has bright prospects in the treatment of stroke. However, some cell therapy issues are not yet fully understood, such as its optimal parameters including cell type choice, cell doses, and injection routes; therefore, a closer relationship between basic and clinical research is needed. In this review, the role of cell therapy in stroke treatment and its mechanisms was summarized, as well as the function of different stem cell types in stroke treatment and the clinical trials using stem cell therapy to cure stroke, to reveal future insights on stroke-related cell therapy, and to guide further studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 286-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuai Zhang ◽  
Brittany Bolduc Lachance ◽  
Bilal Moiz ◽  
Xiaofeng Jia

Stem cells have been used for regenerative and therapeutic purposes in a variety of diseases. In ischemic brain injury, preclinical studies have been promising, but have failed to translate results to clinical trials. We aimed to explore the application of stem cells after ischemic brain injury by focusing on topics such as delivery routes, regeneration efficacy, adverse effects, and in vivo potential optimization. PUBMED and Web of Science were searched for the latest studies examining stem cell therapy applications in ischemic brain injury, particularly after stroke or cardiac arrest, with a focus on studies addressing delivery optimization, stem cell type comparison, or translational aspects. Other studies providing further understanding or potential contributions to ischemic brain injury treatment were also included. Multiple stem cell types have been investigated in ischemic brain injury treatment, with a strong literature base in the treatment of stroke. Studies have suggested that stem cell administration after ischemic brain injury exerts paracrine effects via growth factor release, blood-brain barrier integrity protection, and allows for exosome release for ischemic injury mitigation. To date, limited studies have investigated these therapeutic mechanisms in the setting of cardiac arrest or therapeutic hypothermia. Several delivery modalities are available, each with limitations regarding invasiveness and safety outcomes. Intranasal delivery presents a potentially improved mechanism, and hypoxic conditioning offers a potential stem cell therapy optimization strategy for ischemic brain injury. The use of stem cells to treat ischemic brain injury in clinical trials is in its early phase; however, increasing preclinical evidence suggests that stem cells can contribute to the down-regulation of inflammatory phenotypes and regeneration following injury. The safety and the tolerability profile of stem cells have been confirmed, and their potent therapeutic effects make them powerful therapeutic agents for ischemic brain injury patients.


Stroke ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinho Lee ◽  
Kyu-Yong Lee ◽  
Young-Seo Kim ◽  
Hyun Young Kim ◽  
Hyuk Sung Kwon ◽  
...  

Introduction: Stem cell therapy (SCT) has been proposed for the treatment of neurological disorders. Although there isinsufficient clinical evidence to support its efficacy, unproven SCTs are being performed worldwide. Hypothesis: In this study, we investigated the perspectives and expectations of chronic ischemic stroke patients and physicians about SCTs. Methods: A total of 250 chronic ischemic stroke patients were interviewed at 4 hospitals. Structured open and closed questions about SCT for chronic stroke were asked by trained interviewers using the conventional in-person method. In addition, 250 stroke-related physicians were randomly interviewed via an e-mail questionnaire. Results: Of the 250 patients (mean 63 years, 70% male), 121 (46%) responded that they wanted to receive SCT in spite of its unknown side effects. Around 60% of the patients anticipated physical, emotional, and psychological improvement after SCT, and 158 (63%) believed that SCT might prevent strokes. However, physicians had much lower expectations about the effectiveness of SCTs, which was not in line with patient expectations. Multivariate analysis revealed that male gender (OR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.10-3.64), longer disease duration (OR: 1.01, 95% CI:1.00-1.02), higher modified Rankin Scale score (OR: 1.30, 95% CI 1.06-1.60), and familiarity with stem cells (OR: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.10-3.15) were independently associated with wanting SCT. The major source of information about SCT was television (68%), and the most reliable source was physicians (49%). Conclusion: Patients have unfounded expectations that SCT will improve their functioning. Considering our finding that the major source of information on stem cells is media channels but not the physician, to decrease patients’ inappropriate exposure, doctors should make more effort to educate patients using mass media with accurate information.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Wernly ◽  
Moritz Mirna ◽  
Richard Rezar ◽  
Christine Prodinger ◽  
Christian Jung ◽  
...  

Although reperfusion therapy has improved outcomes, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is still associated with both significant mortality and morbidity. Once irreversible myocardial cell death due to ischemia and reperfusion sets in, scarring leads to reduction in left ventricular function and subsequent heart failure. Regenerative cardiovascular medicine experienced a boost in the early 2000s when regenerative effects of bone marrow stem cells in a murine model of AMI were described. Translation from an animal model to stem cell application in a clinical setting was rapid and the first large trials in humans suffering from AMI were conducted. However, high initial hopes were early shattered by inconsistent results of randomized clinical trials in patients suffering from AMI treated with stem cells. Hence, we provide an overview of both basic science and clinical trials carried out in regenerative cardiovascular therapies. Possible pitfalls in specific cell processing techniques and trial design are discussed as these factors influence both basic science and clinical outcomes. We address possible solutions. Alternative mechanisms and explanations for effects seen in both basic science and some clinical trials are discussed here, with special emphasis on paracrine mechanisms via growth factors, exosomes, and microRNAs. Based on these findings, we propose an outlook in which stem cell therapy, or therapeutic effects associated with stem cell therapy, such as paracrine mechanisms, might play an important role in the future. Optimizing stem cell processing and a better understanding of paracrine signaling as well as its effect on cardioprotection and remodeling after AMI might improve not only AMI research, but also our patients’ outcomes.


2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (3-4) ◽  
pp. E18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew T. Harting ◽  
James E. Baumgartner ◽  
Laura L. Worth ◽  
Linda Ewing-Cobbs ◽  
Adrian P. Gee ◽  
...  

Preliminary discoveries of the efficacy of cell therapy are currently being translated to clinical trials. Whereas a significant amount of work has been focused on cell therapy applications for a wide array of diseases, including cardiac disease, bone disease, hepatic disease, and cancer, there continues to be extraordinary anticipation that stem cells will advance the current therapeutic regimen for acute neurological disease. Traumatic brain injury is a devastating event for which current therapies are limited. In this report the authors discuss the current status of using adult stem cells to treat traumatic brain injury, including the basic cell types and potential mechanisms of action, preclinical data, and the initiation of clinical trials.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevil Kestane

This overview was evaluated by the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and the stem cell therapy approach. DR is a microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus, characterized by damage to the retinal blood vessels leading to progressive loss of vision. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms are complicated and not completely understood yet. The current treatment strategies have included medical, laser, intravitreal, and surgical approaches. It is known that the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), which has a great potential, is promising for the treatment of many degenerative disorders, including the eye. In retinal degenerative diseases, MSCs were ameliorated retinal neurons and retinal pigmented epithelial cells in both in vitro and in vivo studies. Stem cell therapies show promise in neurodegenerative diseases. However, it is very important to know which type of stem cell will be used in which situations, the amount of stem cells to be applied, the method of application, and its physiological/neurophysiological effects. Therefore, it is of great importance to evaluate this subject physiologically. After stem cell application, its safety and efficacy should be followed for a long time. In the near future, widespread application of regenerative stem cell therapy may be a standard treatment in DR.


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