Treating Strokes
with Cord Blood

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “stroke is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 130,000 Americans each year.  On average, one American dies from stroke every 4 minutes.  People of all ages and backgrounds can have a stroke.”

Fortunately there is promising research on the benefits of stem cell therapies for stroke victims. More than 100 studies have been reported by the National Institutes of Health, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Some therapies would facilitate or improve the recovery and rehabilitation after a stroke. Other research focuses on the ability to repair damage done during a stroke.

Ischemic strokes are the most common type of strokes and occur when a clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain. The lack of oxygen kills brain cells and causes swelling. John J. Volpi, M.D., principal investigator for the study at Houston Methodist, says that "We believe that the primitive cells found in whole umbilical cord blood can help reduce swelling in the brain faster and rescue some brain cells that are on the brink of death."

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While a stroke injures the brain, a new study indicates that that human bone marrow stem cells administered intravenously to post-stroke rats preferentially migrated to the spleen and reduced the inflammatory-plagued secondary cell death associated with stroke progression in the brain. The findings suggest that even if stem cells do not enter the brain or survive there, as long as the transplanted cells survive in the spleen the anti-inflammatory effects they promote may be sufficient enough to therapeutically benefit the stroke brain.

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There are many treatments and therapies for stroke victims. Today, the most widely used are various medications, often combined with physical and/or speech therapy. In addition to medication and physical therapy, there is promising research on the benefits of stem cell treatments for stroke victims.

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The Houston Chronicle reports that doctors from the University of Texas Medical School have launched the nation's first experimental trial to use a stroke patients' own stem cells to treat patients who were not able to receive a tissue plasminogen activator or who did not respond to the treatment.

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• American Stroke Association
• American Stroke Foundation
• Kessler Foundation: Stroke Research
• Know Stroke: Know the Signs. Act In Time
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• Stanford School of Medicine: Stroke Center
• WebMD: Stroke Overview