Stem cell hope for stroke victims
Stem cell hope for stroke victims
2008-04-10Newsfeed
The lives of stroke patients could be improved by stem cell "scaffolding", new research has found.
The lives of stroke patients could be improved by stem cell "scaffolding", new research has found.
Neurobiologists from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London and tissue engineers from the University of Nottingham are looking at anchoring the cells on to special molecules to help regenerate damaged brain tissue.
They hope the research will eventually lead to patients regaining some of the functions they lost after a stroke.
Strokes cause a temporary loss of blood supply to the brain, resulting in areas of brain tissue dying. This can then cause a loss of bodily functions such as speech and movement.
Neural stem cells can help tissue regeneration but scientists face major obstacles when trying to deliver these cells to the brain.
Now researchers have found a way to combine stem cells with microparticles - organic molecules called PGLA.
These would act like "scaffolding", providing a structure for the cells to attach to.
It is hoped the scaffolding would make it easier for the cells to attach themselves to the cavities in the brain caused by strokes, holding them in place until they are able to connect with surrounding healthy tissue. The particles would then dissolve.
Copyright © The Press Association 2008
