Scientists are developing a more effective method for delivering neural stem cells to the brain in an attempt to advance the treatment of neurological disorders using stem cell therapies, according to a recently published scientific paper.
The study, which was published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, highlights a technique that was created to treat patients with neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, stroke and traumatic brain injury.
“Stem cell-based therapy is emerging as a promising treatment for a variety of diseases and injuries,” said Marcel Daadi, director of the Regenerative Medicine and Aging Unit at Texas Biomedical Research Institute’s Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC). “The first step in evaluating the potential of different therapeutic stem cell lines is to develop a safe and effectively reproducible delivery system.”
Injection parameters have been studied as applied to drug delivery methods, but these parameters are not directly applicable to stem cell-based therapies, Daadi said. Technical applications for stem cell delivery are underdeveloped and at present, limited. Limitations include inconsistent cell survival, injection site inaccuracies and blood vessel punctures that can cause hemorrhaging during brain penetration.
“We wouldn’t have been able to see this phenomenon using standard stereotaxic delivery. With iMRI, we can visualize in real-time the cells being injected to the target area. A non-invasive iMRI approach is becoming a necessity in clinical applications to enhance the safety of patients and the efficacy of the therapeutic approach. We can create the best cells, but if we can’t transplant them to the patient in a consistent and predictable way so that the patient can accept and thrive from them, then the therapy is simply ineffective,” Daadi said.
Scientists developed a technique to deliver stem cells to the brain with low invasiveness, while maintaining accuracy during placement of the stem cells within the basal ganglia part of the brain. The technique was performed on baboons at the SNPRC, and revealed that injected cells disperse in waves as opposed to a steady rate.
The finding demonstrated how injected cells behave in the host brain, and may encourage further development of the method to increase stem cell function.
The study, which was published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, highlights a technique that was created to treat patients with neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, stroke and traumatic brain injury.
“Stem cell-based therapy is emerging as a promising treatment for a variety of diseases and injuries,” said Marcel Daadi, director of the Regenerative Medicine and Aging Unit at Texas Biomedical Research Institute’s Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC). “The first step in evaluating the potential of different therapeutic stem cell lines is to develop a safe and effectively reproducible delivery system.”
Injection parameters have been studied as applied to drug delivery methods, but these parameters are not directly applicable to stem cell-based therapies, Daadi said. Technical applications for stem cell delivery are underdeveloped and at present, limited. Limitations include inconsistent cell survival, injection site inaccuracies and blood vessel punctures that can cause hemorrhaging during brain penetration.
“We wouldn’t have been able to see this phenomenon using standard stereotaxic delivery. With iMRI, we can visualize in real-time the cells being injected to the target area. A non-invasive iMRI approach is becoming a necessity in clinical applications to enhance the safety of patients and the efficacy of the therapeutic approach. We can create the best cells, but if we can’t transplant them to the patient in a consistent and predictable way so that the patient can accept and thrive from them, then the therapy is simply ineffective,” Daadi said.
Scientists developed a technique to deliver stem cells to the brain with low invasiveness, while maintaining accuracy during placement of the stem cells within the basal ganglia part of the brain. The technique was performed on baboons at the SNPRC, and revealed that injected cells disperse in waves as opposed to a steady rate.
The finding demonstrated how injected cells behave in the host brain, and may encourage further development of the method to increase stem cell function.
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