Stem cell therapy in stroke

Abstract

Stroke is the leading cause of neurological disability in adults worldwide and involves the significant impairment of sensory-motor function caused by cerebral ischemia and subsequent neuronal death. Owing to a lack of medical or surgical treatments to improve neurological function and neurogenesis, chronic stroke places a huge burden on patients, their families, and society. Over the past twenty years, increasing evidence from translational and clinical research has demonstrated the potential effectiveness of hematopoietic growth factors and stem cell administration or transplantation in the treatment of stroke. In particular, these studies have included granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, mesenchymal stem cells, autologous CD34+ peripheral blood stem cells, umbilical cord blood stem cells, and autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells. It is therefore important to consider the safety of these putative therapies whilst achieving the maximum benefit for patients with chronic stroke in terms of the route of administration and stem cell numbers. In this review, we discuss current evidence and the progress that has been made in our hospital, which paves the way for the next neurogenesis therapy for chronic stroke.