Health security

Stanford researchers unexpectedly reverse brain damage with stem cells

Stanford researchers have found that injecting stem cells directly into the brains of recovering stroke sufferers is more than just safe – it actually reverses brain damage, something previously thought impossible by science.

The amazing thing about the latest study, published in the journal Stroke, is that the arguably bigger success came about by accident. It was a small sample size of only 18 patients, and the objective was to test the safety of the procedure – which involves injecting stem cells directly under the uppermost layer of the brain. The tests showed that it is doable and relatively straightforward, as far as brain surgery goes.

But what “stunned” Stanford researchers was that the stem cells also reversed the damage way past the six-month recovery period after a stroke, beyond which it is thought the remaining unhealed brain circuits are completely beyond recovery. At that point, other therapy is normally stopped and the sufferer is left to live with whatever impairment remains.