Stem cell therapy offers a new hope to repair brain damage in newborns
Most people think of stroke as something that mainly affects the elderly, but it can also occur in newborn babies. About one in 5,000 newborns have a stroke. It usually happens in the first few days after they are born.
Most people think of stroke as something that mainly affects the elderly, but it can also occur in newborn babies. About one in 5,000 newborns have a stroke. It usually happens in the first few days after they are born. Most of the babies will have problems later in life, with the severity of the problems depending on which brain areas were injured.
Researchers, at University Medical Center Utrecht, have been working on new treatments, one of which involves stem cells. If can get stem cells into the damaged part of a baby's brain, the stem cells' growth factors will stimulate the brain to repair itself. Earlier studies in animals showed that injecting stem cells into the brains of newborn mice with stroke dramatically reduced the amount of brain damage and disability they suffered. This treatment was safe and had no side-effects in the mice. These animal studies gave reasearchers hope that the treatment would work in newborn babies, too, preventing a lifetime of disability.
But how do you deliver stem cells to a baby's brain without having to use needles or surgery? Researchers concluded that dripping stem cells in the nose is the safest and most efficient way to deliver them to the brain. After they delivered the stem cells intranasally, the cells traveled rapidly and specifically to the injured brain areas. The injured brain area sends out "alarm signals" that guide the stem cells to the right spot in the brain. Once the stem cells arrived at the damaged area, they secreted growth factors that boosted the repair systems of the mice's brains.
After many years of laboratory research, they have finally tested the treatment in babies and treated ten newborns who were transferred from hospitals across the Netherlands to the University Medical Center Utrecht after suffering from a stroke. In all ten newborns, the stem cell droplets were administered without any complications. There was one baby who had a mild fever after the treatment, which quickly cleared up on its own. A follow-up MRI scan of the brain made three months after the stroke showed less injury than expected and at four months, the treated babies, performed well when the quality of their movements was tested.
The discovery of a new and safe therapy with stem cells also opens up opportunities for other babies with brain injury, such as babies who are born too early, or babies that suffer from a lack of oxygen during birth.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-05-stem-cell-therapy-brain-newborns.html
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