A PIONEERING trial to test one of the big promises of stem cell science 鈥� treating the brain damage caused by stroke 鈥� poses technical challenges, but could be of enormous benefit if successful.
On 19 January, the company in Guildford, UK, won approval from the to inject neural stem cells, originally derived from donated fetal tissue, into the brains of 12 stroke patients. The main aim is to test for safety but the hope is that the stem cells will differentiate into brain tissue and restore connections lost through the stroke.
鈥淭he hope is that the cells will differentiate and restore brain connections lost through the stroke鈥�
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Working out whether this is happening might be tricky as the stem cells don鈥檛 have radioactive or chemical labels to distinguish them from the patients鈥� own cells, says principal investigator Keith Muir of the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow. Instead the team is relying on brain scans to reveal changes in activity.
