Abstract
The optimal range of cell dose, route of administration, and timing for the treatement of neonatal encephalopathy are not known. However, it is not practical to systematically interrogate all combinations of these variables in animal models to define the optimal cell therapy protocol. Despite this limitation, a number of trends are present in the literature that should be considered when designing future clinical and preclinical trials. First, higher cell doses appear more effective than low doses; second, intranasal or intravascular routes of administration, are preferable to more invasive routes; third, treating with stem cells sooner appears preferable to later; and fourth, multiple doses appear more effective than a single dose. Therefore, a protocol with these initial conditions may be a suitable foundation for designing future research into the therapeutic potential of cell therapies for neonatal encephalopathy.
Keywords
Neonatal encephalopathy, Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, Stem cells, Mesenchymal stromal cells, Hypothermia therapy