Researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a new stem-cell-based treatment for strokes. When tested in animal models, the technique was found to reduce brain damage and help the brain heal itself faster, and the results have been promising enough that human clinical trials may follow as soon as next year.
A particularly promising line of treatment involves stem cells. A few years ago, a London study used a certain set of CD34+ stem cells to trigger the growth of new brain tissue and blood vessels. Later, a Stanford study managed to restore mobility in the limbs of stroke victims after injecting stem cells into the brain.
The new study, conducted by researchers from the University of Georgia's Regenerative Bioscience Center and spinout startup ArunA Biomedical, also uses stem cells. Dubbed AB126, the treatment uses exosomes, tiny tube-shaped structures generated by neural stem cells. Since these structures are smaller than cells, they're able to cross certain barriers that cells can't, carrying and delivering multiple doses of regenerative therapeutics to where they're most needed.
Read more: http://bit.ly/2EUAHMe