March 9, 2009

scientists comment on stem cells being used to treat stroke damage in the brain

Researchers at Kings College London have shown that stem cells could in principle be used to treat damage caused by stroke, by injecting them into the brain at the site of damage.

Prof Anthony Hollander, ARC Professor of Rheumatology and Tissue Engineering, University of Bristol, said:

“We are only just beginning to understand how to use tissue engineering to cure diseases. This study shows the exciting possibility of using a biomaterial to deliver stem cells to a very specific location in the brain. It is too early to say if it will be clinically effective in patients but the more we explore these possibilities the more likely it is that we will develop successful therapies.”

Prof Jonathan M. Cooper, FREng, FRSE, The Wolfson Chair of Bioengineering at the University of Glasgow, said:

“The project highlights the potential benefit of cross-disciplinary research. Over the last decade the UK funding councils have done much to stimulate collaborations between clinicians, biologists, chemists and engineers. It seems that this project is an excellent example where, by understanding the importance of biomaterial scaffolds, the cells are better able to populate the void left by the injury. It seems the use of this biodegradable scaffold is integral to the success of the project, so far. Not only does the biomaterial act as a support for the cells when they are seeded into the void, but as the scaffold is degraded, it provides the physical space for vascularisation to occur, which will supply the new areas of tissue with metabolites and gases. In the context of clinical therapy, these are very early days, and the significance of the technique in treatment of stroke will only become truly apparent in years to come.”