Stem cells help stroke patients walk again
Stem cell trials on stroke patients greatly improved their mobility and enabled them to walk again.
Experts have begun trials on a stem-cell solution injected into the brains of patients who had suffered a stroke in order to help them walk again.
According to an article published in New Scientist, the trials also saw improvements in the patients’ arm movements and speech.
The mesenchymal stem cells used in the injected solution for the trials were acquired from the bone marrow of healthy donors. These were then genetically engineered to possess a gene called Notch1, which is essential in the activation of brain development in infants. The now modified stem cells are deemed to help build new connections between brain cells as well as new blood vessels to nourish brain tissue growth.
There are currently 30 ongoing trials, each showing remarkably promising results. A second set of trials is being prepared where patients will receive 2.5 million to 5 million stem cells. Alfred Bayle
