'Safe' stem cell therapy may help stroke recovery

Conclusion This study provides evidence that a new technique using a patient's own stem cells to aid the recovery from severe ischaemic stoke is feasible and appears to be safe. It was not designed to test whether the technique was better than doing nothing or better than other types of care or treatment. The authors are perfectly clear that this "proof-of-concept study was not designed with a control group or powered to be able to detect efficacy". This means we cannot be sure that the improvements seen in the five patients were caused by the stem cell treatment. They could have occurred anyway as part of the natural path of recovery after a stroke – a point made by the authors. A much larger trial that compares this stem cell treatment with the best available current care is needed to prove its effectiveness. It may surprise some people to learn that a trial of a new treatment did not actually set out to test whether the treatment worked. This is normal in the sequence of treatment development. When researchers find a new potential treatment, usually through animal research, they then need to demonstrate that the treatment is feasible to carry out in humans and, most importantly, that it is safe. To do this, they typically recruit a small number of people and monitor them intensely – as happened in this study. If the treatment is deemed feasible and safe in this small group, they can design larger trials, which aim to both optimise the treatment and prove tha...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Genetics/stem cells Heart/lungs Source Type: news