Dutch scientists have developed a new method that treats newborns who suffer brain damage after a stroke, thanks to stem cells given through nasal drops.
According to research published in The Lancet, one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world, the damaged brain can repair itself thanks to stem cells given with nasal drops.
In the research conducted by the experts of the Utrecht University Faculty of Medicine, it was determined that the nasal drops reached the damaged area in the brain within a few hours.
After the researchers determined that the drop passed through a kind of sieve bone in the nose and was absorbed by the blood vessels of the cerebrospinal fluid and the membrane layer surrounding the central nervous system, they applied it to stem cell therapy.
It was examined how the stem cell given via nasal drops reached the damaged area in the brain.
One of the researchers, neurologist Assoc. Dr. Cora Nijboer says the damaged brain gives a kind of emergency signal that pulls the stem cells to the right place.
According to the Dutch expert, the paralyzed brain, where the stem cells reach, begins to produce some substances that activate the repair mechanism of its own stem cells.
As part of the research, 10 newborn babies diagnosed with cerebral infarction were given a dose of stem cells via nasal drops.
Babies followed in the Neonatology Clinic of Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital in Utrecht underwent a new brain scan (MRI) when they were about 3 months old, and how much brain damage remained.
At the end of the research, positive developments were found in brain damage in babies given stem cells via nasal drops.
Participating in the research, neonatology expert Prof. Dr. “It’s possible for infant brains to recover because young brains are still developing,” Manon Benders told Dutch media, noting that a larger study involving newborns is needed for more conclusive results.
What is a stem cell?
Stem cell is the name given to the cells that form the infrastructure of all tissues and organs in the body. They can transform into any cell in the body, such as a blood cell, liver cell or skin cell.
Stem cells, which have the ability to renew themselves, can regenerate damaged tissues and organs. For example, dead skin cells in the body can be transformed into new skin cells by changing thanks to stem cells.