Mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow or umbilical cord blood have been shown to help speed up healing in animal models of ischemia, spinal cord, and stroke. Mesenchymal cells have advantages over other stem cells because they are accessible and have good capacity to grow in the laboratory. When the cells are transplanted to the site of the injury they have the ability to encourage the growth of new blood vessels, reduce inflammation and reduce cell death.
Together, this results in reduced tissue damage and faster repair. In the recently published study1mesenchymal cells from umbilical cord blood has been used to treat stroke in rats. The administration of cells resulted in reduced damage to tissue and improve motor function.
This study is important because it uses the human umbilical cord blood as cell source. For most births of umbilical cord blood is discarded, but it could be easily tilted and always ready for immediate use.
1 Jung Yeon LimChang JeongJin Hyun Ae JunSeong Muk KimChung Heon RyuYun HouWonil OhJong Changsin-Soo Wook Fasting Credits / Source: Stem Cell Research & Therapy, 2011, 2:38