A preliminary trial at Stanford University, California, resulted in a publication in the Stroke journal on 2 June. Scientists led by Gary Steinberg “injected mesenchymal stem cells directly into the brain of patients suffering from the sequelae of a stroke”. One year on, the team “has noted an improvement in motor deficit with no noteworthy complications” in eighteen patients.
Since 2000, “a vast area of research has focused on repairing post-CVA brain damage using stem cells” and approximately twenty clinical trials are in the pipeline. Mesenchymal stem cells are mostly used because they “do not require immunosuppressant therapy and safety data are reassuring”.
The stem cells used by the Stanford team were genetically modified to facilitate their differentiation in neural cells, and then injected directly into the damaged portion of the brain.The efficacy observed after one year is not directly due to stem cell transplantation. However, the stem cells “help the brain to repair and heal by secreting various substances”. Further tests involving larger patient cohorts are nevertheless required.
Le Monde, Sandrine Cabut (2/06/2016)