Scientists from the University of California at Los Angeles announced this advance to counteract the effects of a stroke

The human brain has a limited ability to regenerate damaged brain tissue; in fact, the damaged tissue is reabsorbed by the body instead of giving way to a new and healthy tissue, but according to scientists at UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles). The repair of this damage can be improved soon with the help of bioengineering involving a gel.

Leer en español: Un gel: la solución para reparar tejido cerebral

In the monthly publication "Nature Materials", the researchers: Lina R. Nih, Shiva Gojgini, S.Thomas Carmichael and Tatiana Segura published an article where they talk about their advances in the creation of an injectable gel capable of solidifying and imitating the properties of the brain tissue in the cavities caused by a stroke to allow the growth of blood vessels and neurons.

Dr. Thomas Carmichael mentions that experimental tests were done on laboratory mice to determine if the gel could fill the void left by the dead tissue. This gel contains molecules that stimulate the creation of blood vessels; in addition, these molecules suppress inflammation as it prevents the growth of new tissue.

After 16 weeks, the cavities in the brains of the mice were already occupied by new tissue, as well as new connections between axons, while the base created by the gel had already been absorbed by the body. Mice containing the gel also showed an improvement in their motor functions, a result that had not been seen in previous studies. Although the researchers are still not sure of the process that was given for motor recovery, Dr. Tatiana Segura mentions that it could be due to two things: the correct function of the new axons or that the new tissue could be improving the performance of healthy tissue it surrounds it.

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Given the results, Dr. Segura said that a similar treatment could be used in people suffering from a stroke to help them in their recovery, which would be a ray of hope, because only in the United States, about 6 million people live with the aftermath of a stroke.

The research aimed to observe the results of the gel when administered in the immediate period after a stroke, this period is five days in mice and two months in humans. After this investigation, Carmichael and Segura will now continue with the study of the effects of the gel in patients with more time of having suffered the attack.

Latin American Post | Alan Rosas González
Translated from “Un gel: la solución para reparar tejido cerebral”