A stem cell therapy previously shown to reduce inflammation in the critical time window after traumatic brain injury also promotes lasting cognitive improvement, according to a preclinical study reported in a recent issue of Stem Cells Translational Medicine. Cellular damage in the brain after traumatic injury can cause severe, ongoing neurological impairment and inflammation.
Few pharmaceutical options exist to treat the problem. About half of patients with severe head injuries need surgery to remove or repair ruptured blood vessels or bruised brain tissue. A stem cell treatment known as Multipotent Adult Progenitor Cell (MAPC) therapy, has been found to reduce inflammation in rats immediately after traumatic brain injury, but no one had yet gauged its usefulness in promoting recovery of neurological function over time. Now, a group of scientists studying that question has come up with a preliminary answer. A research team led by Dr Charles Cox, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, and scientists from Athersys, a biotechnology company, injected two groups of brain-injured rats with MAPC cells two hours after the rats’ brains were injured and again 24 hours later. One group received a dose of two million cells per kilogram and the other a dose five times stronger. After four months, the rats receiving the higher dose not only continued to have less inflammation, they also made significant gains in cognitive function. A laboratory examination of the rodents’ brains confirmed that those receiving the higher dose of MAPC therapy had better brain function than those receiving the lower dose.
