Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Feb 2;19(1):5.
doi: 10.1007/s11910-019-0920-4.

Promoting Brain Repair and Regeneration After Stroke: a Plea for Cell-Based Therapies

Ania Dabrowski  1 , Thomas J Robinson  1 , Ryan J Felling  2
Affiliations
Review

Promoting Brain Repair and Regeneration After Stroke: a Plea for Cell-Based Therapies

Ania Dabrowski et al. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: After decades of hype, cell-based therapies are emerging into the clinical arena for the purposes of promoting recovery after stroke. In this review, we discuss the most recent science behind the role of cell-based therapies in ischemic stroke and the efforts to translate these therapies into human clinical trials.

Recent findings: Preclinical data support numerous beneficial effects of cell-based therapies in both small and large animal models of ischemic stroke. These benefits are driven by multifaceted mechanisms promoting brain repair through immunomodulation, trophic support, circuit reorganization, and cell replacement. Cell-based therapies offer tremendous potential for improving outcomes after stroke through multimodal support of brain repair. Based on recent clinical trials, cell-based therapies appear both feasible and safe in all phases of stroke. Ongoing translational research and clinical trials will further refine these therapies and have the potential to transform the approach to stroke recovery and rehabilitation.

Keywords: Brain regeneration; Neurogenesis; Neuroplasticity; Stem cells; Stroke recovery; Transplantation.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ramon y Cajal S. Degeneration and regeneration of the nervous system. London: Oxford University Press; 1928.
    1. Reynolds BA, Weiss S. Generation of neurons and astrocytes from isolated cells of the adult mammalian central nervous system. Science. 1992;255(5052):1707–10. - PubMed
    1. Ramalho-Santos M, Willenbring H. On the origin of the term “stem cell”. Cell stem cell. 2007;1(1):35–8. doi:10.1016/j.stem.2007.05.013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Quesenberry PJ, Colvin G, Dooner G, Dooner M, Aliotta JM, Johnson K. The stem cell continuum: cell cycle, injury, and phenotype lability. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2007;1106:20–9. doi:10.1196/annals.1392.016. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Blum B, Benvenisty N. The tumorigenicity of human embryonic stem cells. Adv Cancer Res. 2008;100:133–58. doi:10.1016/S0065-230X(08)00005-5. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms