Conclusions
We developed a robust and repeatable functional assessment tool that can reliably detect stroke and recovery, while also showing for the first time that iNPC therapy leads to functional recovery in a translational pig ischemic stroke model. These promising results suggest that iNPCs may 1 day serve as a first in class cell therapeutic for ischemic stroke.
Methods
Eight 6-month-old Landrace mix pigs underwent permanent MCAO. Five days following MCAO, pigs received intraparenchymal injections of either iNPCs or PBS. A post-stroke assessment scale was developed to measure functional outcome. Evaluations were performed at least 1-3 days prior to MCAO and repeated 1 day, 3 days, and 5 days post-stroke as well as 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 9 weeks, and 12 weeks post-injection. Comparisons of scores between animals receiving iNPCs or PBS only were compared using a two-way ANOVA and a Tukey's post-hoc t test.
Results
The developed scale was able to consistently determine differences between healthy and stroked pigs at all time points. iNPC-treated pigs showed a significantly faster recovery in their overall scores relative to PBS-only treated pigs with the parameters of appetite and body posture exhibiting the most improvement in the iNPC-treated group. Conclusions: We developed a robust and repeatable functional assessment tool that can reliably detect stroke and recovery, while also showing for the first time that iNPC therapy leads to functional recovery in a translational pig ischemic stroke model. These promising results suggest that iNPCs may 1 day serve as a first in class cell therapeutic for ischemic stroke.