Portuguese researchers advance new stem cell therapy for ischaemic stroke

^{Translation: Diana Taborda}

A research project led by the University of Coimbra (UC), the University of Beira Interior (UBI) and Stemlab (owner of “Crioestaminal”) will receive €150,000 in funding to develop a novel stem cell therapy for ischaemic stroke. The team expects their research to help overcome current barriers to accessing treatment for this medical condition.

"REPAIR - Repair and Recovery after Ischaemic Stroke: New Strategies for Cellular Therapy" will run for three years and will bring together academia and industry for the application of cell therapy and its modelling by exposure to hypoxic atmospheres, i.e. oxygen levels lower than those normally used in laboratory condition.

The “REPAIR” project, [Repair and Recovery after Ischaemic Stroke: New Strategies for Cellular Therapy], is set to run for three years. It aims to foster collaboration between academia and industry in the application of cell therapy and hypoxic modeling, - i.e., exposing cellular tissues to oxygen levels lower than those typically used in the laboratory to understand their response," explains Bruno Manadas, a researcher at the UC Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC-UC).

An ischaemic stroke occurs when a blockage (clot) reduces or interrupts blood flow to the brain, causing brain cells to stop working properly due to the lack of oxygen and nutrients.

The new therapy being developed by the REPAIR team is based on the administration of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells or their secretome in the post-acute phase of ischaemic stroke - the period following the initial onset of stroke - when treatment should be given. These approaches have shown significant therapeutic potential in preclinical models of various severe diseases. In the context of ischaemic stroke, they could play a crucial role in “paracrine modulation of inflammatory processes and neuroprotection, both key factors in mitigating the loss of functional capacity and accelerating the process of functional recovery," concludes Bruno Manadas.

The REPAIR project team also includes Carlos Duarte, researcher at CNC-UC and professor at the UC Faculty of Sciences and Technology; Graça Baltazar, professor and researcher at UBI; and Carla Cardoso, head of Research and Development at Crioestaminal. Ignacio Lizasoain, director of the Neurovascular Research Unit of the Complutense University of Madrid, is also involved in the project.