Combination strategies to promote repair and functional recovery following stroke

在加拿大，据估计，中风每年给加拿大经济造成近30亿美元的损失。 干细胞疗法为中风的治疗带来了巨大的希望。这项研究将 通过解决当前的挑战为治疗中风的临床方法奠定基础 基于细胞的疗法。我们的研究团队和行业合作伙伴将利用 干细胞生物学、细胞移植和生物工程方面的创新，以促进两者 卒中临床前模型中的组织和功能修复。我们衡量成功的标准是 功能分析无疑是翻译最相关的结果。我们 将在慢性中风模型中进行研究，因为对慢性中风的研究较少 尽管有严重的影响，包括过早死亡、生活质量差和严重的不良影响 对家庭、社区和整个社会的经济影响。以发展为目标 治疗中风脑损伤的临床相关策略我们将结合一部小说， 由我们的行业合作伙伴设计的专有人类细胞来源，允许患者特定 用于细胞移植的细胞。这些细胞不受伦理道德的影响，能够 以避免移植后的排斥反应。重要的是，这些细胞被设计成只能制造大脑 因此，特定的细胞在移植后不会形成不适当的细胞类型。我们会 将细胞移植与新的生物工程工具相结合，提供促进 大脑可塑性和细胞存活通过减少负面环境因素在 脑部受伤。此外，为了提高细胞的存活率--对基于细胞的 治疗-我们的临床前研究将利用一种新型的专利药物来抑制细胞死亡。 总之，这些使用组合策略的临床前研究将为临床奠定基础 治疗中风的试验。

In Canada, it is estimated that stroke costs the Canadian economy almost $3 billion per year. Stem cell based therapies hold great promise for the treatment of stroke. This research will lay the foundation for clinical approaches to treat stroke by addressing current challenges with cell based therapies. Our team of researchers and industry partner will take advantage of innovations in stem cell biology, cell transplantation, and bioengineering to promote both tissue and functional repair in preclinical models of stroke. Our measures of success are functional assays undoubtedly the most relevant outcome for translation. We will perform our studies in chronic stroke models, as chronic stroke has been less well studied despite the serious impacts including premature death, poor quality of life and large adverse economic effects on families, communities and society in general. With the goal of developing clinically relevant strategies to treat the stroke-injured brain we will combine a novel, proprietary human cell source engineered by our industry partner, that permits patient specific cells to be used for cell transplantation. These cells are outside of ethical concerns and able to avoid rejection after transplantation. Importantly, the cells are designed to only make brain specific cells so will not form inappropriate cell types following transplantation. We will combine the cell transplantation with novel bioengineered tools to deliver drugs that promote brain plasticity and cell survival by reducing the negative environmental factors found in the injured brain. Further, to enhance cell survival - a significant challenge for cell based therapies - our preclinical studies will utilize a novel, patented drug that inhibits cell death. Together, these preclinical studies using combinatorial strategies will set the stage for clinical trials to treat stroke.