Cell Therapy in Ischemic Stroke

Stroke is the leading cause of disability worldwide and enhancing recovery from neurologic symptoms still remains a major challenge for health care systems globally. Cell-based therapies are currently investigational and offer significant potential in improving functional and behavioral deficits. In this chapter, we review the mechanisms of stroke recovery and the preclinical studies as well as early clinical trials that have investigated stem cell therapy in inducing stroke recovery. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges in designing, conducting, and regulating human trials of cell-based therapy in ischemic stroke.