A chance to regain what was lost
Researchers at Ohio State University have developed cell reprogramming technology to help repair damaged brain tissue after an ischemic stroke.
Tissue nanotransfection is an author's technique that allows to introduce genetic material into cells and "retrain" them – in this case, to turn fibroblasts into vasculogenic cells, that is, cells capable of giving rise to new vessels.
The researchers isolated fibroblasts from the skin of mice and introduced the genes of three transcription factors into them by tissue nanotransfection, which play an important role in the early stages of the body's development. When injected into the brain of mice after an ischemic stroke, these cells contributed to the formation of new blood vessels and the restoration of damaged brain tissue.
The researchers found that mice treated with cell therapy recovered up to 90% of their motor functions. MRI showed that the damaged areas of the brain recover within a few weeks.
In addition, it has been found that cells that are injected into the affected area also release signals in the form of vesicles that help in repairing damaged brain tissue.
Ischemic stroke ranks second among the causes of death worldwide, and surviving patients often have irreversible brain damage leading to paralysis, speech impairment and loss of motor functions. Medical advances have allowed doctors to quickly dissolve blood clots in the vessels of the brain, but therapy is effective only if it begins within a few hours after a stroke, before the brain tissue dies. Only 20% of patients with ischemic stroke receive timely care, the rest undergo irreversible brain changes with speech, cognitive and motor function disorders. But thanks to the new cell therapy, there is a chance for cell regeneration to restore lost brain functions.
Researchers are also exploring the potential use of this technology to treat other brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, and autoimmune diseases.
Article by L.R.Lemmerman et al. Nanotransfection-based vasculogenic cell reprogramming drives functional recovery in a mouse model of ischemic stroke published in the journal Science Advances.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on Ohio State News: New technology ‘retrains’ cells to repair damaged brain tissue in mice after stroke.