UCLA researchers have successfully grown large quantities of high-quality brain cells to help treat dementia patients
Medical researchers have taken a monumental step toward developing a stem cell-based treatment to repair brain damage caused by white matter strokes. These “silent strokes,” often undetected, gradually erode cognitive functions, leading to vascular dementia and even accelerating Alzheimer’s disease.
The therapy is designed to repair damage to the brain from white matter stroke, a type of “silent stroke” that can kick off years of cognitive deterioration in the form of a disease called “vascular dementia” and can even accelerate Alzheimer’s disease.
When neurons die, as they do after a stroke, the brain is typically unable to regenerate them. While previous attempts to grow replacement neurons from stem cells in the lab have seen some success, a new approach is being explored under the leadership of Dr. S. Thomas Carmichael, chair of Neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Dr. Llorente is developing specialized “pro-repair” astrocytes that release chemical signals to stimulate healing in cells damaged by stroke. These astrocytes help regenerate the long tendrils, known as axons, which are vital for maintaining brain connectivity where neurons have been harmed.
The innovative therapy centers on a specialized type of brain cell called “astrocytes.” Unlike neurons, which the brain cannot regrow once damaged, astrocytes play a supportive yet powerful role in brain repair. These cells not only help neurons recover but also send out chemical signals that stimulate the brain’s natural healing processes. They encourage the regrowth of axons — essential for brain connectivity — and interact with damaged oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) to restore the myelin sheath, critical for efficient brain signaling.
When tested on mice, the results were remarkable. The transplanted astrocytes awakened dormant repair mechanisms in the brain, leading to significant improvements in memory and motor skills, even months after the treatment. What’s more, the cells’ effects persisted long after they died, proving that they set off a chain reaction of healing.
One of the most groundbreaking aspects of this therapy is its practicality. Researchers have perfected a method to produce billions of high-quality astrocytes within just 35 days — dramatically faster than previous approaches. This efficiency brings the treatment closer to becoming an “off-the-shelf” solution, ready for widespread use.
Silent strokes can contribute to the onset of dementia. Unlike acute strokes in larger blood vessels, which often present clear symptoms like facial drooping or arm weakness, white matter strokes occur in tiny blood vessels and cause subtle, gradual damage over time.
“When these strokes occur, noticeable symptoms are often absent,” explains Dr. Llorente. “However, we now understand that white matter strokes can progress into vascular dementia and even worsen Alzheimer’s disease, making them challenging to detect in their early stages.”
Currently, there are no treatments available to repair the brain damage caused by white matter strokes.
In an April study published in Science Translational Medicine, Dr. Llorente and her team showcased how their astrocyte therapy could trigger the brain’s healing process, even long after the damage had taken place. Mice that underwent the therapy demonstrated significant improvements in both memory and motor skills within four months of the transplant.
What’s even more fascinating is that the healing effects continued even after the transplanted cells had died. Once the astrocytes activated the repair mechanisms in the brain’s neurons and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), the brain kept healing on its own, no longer reliant on the astrocytes themselves.
While the journey to human clinical trials is still ahead, the progress is promising. The next steps involve meeting with the FDA to determine the path toward testing this therapy on patients. If successful, this could revolutionize dementia care, offering new hope to those affected by one of the most challenging diseases of our time.
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