Experimental Stem Cell Therapy Shows Promise in Stroke Recovery Study

📷WAM

Los Angeles, September 19, 2025 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – An international team of researchers has developed an experimental stem cell therapy that shows potential in repairing brain tissue damaged by strokes, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

The collaboration between the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, the University of Zurich, and ETH Zurich found that transplanting neural stem cells one week after an ischaemic stroke in mice led to significant recovery.

The researchers reprogrammed human blood cells into neural stem cells and transplanted them into damaged brain tissue. After five weeks, the treated mice demonstrated reduced inflammation, stronger blood vessels, improved neural connectivity, and less leakage from the blood-brain barrier compared with untreated mice.

The study showed that the majority of transplanted stem cells matured into GABAergic neurons, which play a role in stroke recovery. Treated mice exhibited full recovery of fine motor skills and significant improvements in gait.

Ruslan Rust, Assistant Professor of Research Physiology and Neuroscience at the Keck School of Medicine, said the therapy could provide recovery opportunities for patients unable to receive immediate treatment after a stroke.

The research team is now examining the long-term effects of the therapy and exploring ways to strengthen the signalling pathways involved in neural regeneration, with the aim of adapting the approach for clinical use in humans.