AAN 2021 | Attenuating secondary degeneration in stroke patients with cell-based therapy

Sean Savitz, MD, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, discusses the findings of a non-randomized clinical trial using longitudinal neuroimaging to assess corticospinal tract integrity in patients with stroke treated with autologous bone marrow cells. 17 patients treated with bone marrow cells were imaged over time and compared to patients who received standard of care treatment. It was demonstrated that tract integrity, represented by absolute and relative fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity, continually reduced over the 12-month assessment period in the untreated patients. Whereas the patients who received bone marrow cells showed an improvement in tract integrity (increase in relative FA). This interview took place during the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2021 Annual Meeting.