Researchers at the University of Georgia and Emory University have developed a new therapy that may hasten the recovery of patients who have suffered a stroke. The stem-cell based therapy was tested in pigs because of the similarity between the brains of pigs and humans. Pigs receiving surgical transplantation of the stem cells into the damaged areas of their brains showed improved blood flow, metabolism, and maintenance of neural connections within the brain.
- Franklin West, PhD
- Emily Baker, PhD
- Simon Platt, BVM&S
Three key benefits to the findings
- Demonstrates the effectiveness of a new therapy for limiting damage from and speeding recovery following stroke
- Offers a new, highly relevant animal model for studying stroke
- Opens the door for additional studies using this animal model system to study other stroke therapies