The Current State of Cell Therapies for Cerebrovascular Diseases

Although cerebrovascular diseases are among the leading causes of health burden in the world, presently existing therapies have narrow capabilities in the treatment of such ailments [1, 2]. Cell therapies were originally used in hematological disorders and are currently being investigated as potential treatments for diverse conditions [3, 4]. Several preclinical reports have indicated that cell transplantation may generate beneficial functional and structural outcomes in stroke animals, even though the underlying mechanisms for such effects are still the subject of intensive research [5–7]. In the clinical setting, preliminary studies have been published indicating a good safety profile of systemic cell therapies, but additional trials are needed to assess the possible feasibility and efficacy of cell transplantation in cerebrovascular patients [5, 8, 9]. Furthermore, there are numerous obstacles to be tackled in order to thoroughly translate results from animal studies to patients [5, 8, 9].