A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot (ischemic) or bursts (hemorrhagic). The resulting lack of oxygen and nutrients to the affected part of the brain causes neurons to begin dying (apoptosis) and severe inflammation to occur.

The inflammation further hinders the recovery process by causing the myelin sheath (the protective covering that surrounds axons) to break down while causing glial cells such as microglia, oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and Schwann cells to die. This effectively prevents the brain from healing itself and causes the condition to progressively worsen.

How Our Products Can Treat Stroke

We use products derived from human baby umbilical cord tissues in all our therapy programs - Wharton's Jelly MSCs (wjMSCs). The human brain is strictly regulated by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This is a semipermeable endothelial membrane that separates blood from cerebrospinal fluid. It is a highly selective mechanism that allows only a select few types of cells, particles and molecules enter the brain. Our products are special because they can:

• cross the endothelial brain barrier ^[1,2,3].
• migrate to sites of injury (chemotaxis) ^[4,5].
• communicate with and alter nearby cells (paracrine effect) ^[7,8,9].
• encourage existing cells to self-repair (autocrine effect) ^[9,10,11].
• prevent rejection by regulating the immune system (immunomodulation) ^{[4,5,12,13,14,15,16,17,18]}.
• reduce inflammation ^{[5,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25]}.
• prevent cells from dying (apoptosis) ^{[4,5,7,23,26,27,28,29]}.
• transform into neurons and glial cells ^{[21,26,30,31,32,33]}.
• transform into oligodendrocytes and astrocytes ^[34,35,36].
• transform into Schwann cells ^{[37,38,39,40]}.
• promote the formation of axons (axogenesis) ^{[22,24,28,37,40,41,42]}.
• promote the formation of astrocytes (astrogenesis) ^[36].
• encourage the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) ^{[4,6,7,14,21,49,50]}.
• incapable of forming tumours ^{[4,14,15,43,44]}.
• release neuroprotective factors ^[7,20,29,45].
• encourage existing cells to adapt (neuroplasticity) ^[46,47,48].
• survive and differentiate in low oxygen environments ^{[51,52,53,54,55]}.

Treating A Stroke

When a stroke occurs, it leaves certain parts of the brain oxygen-deprived making the environment hostile to the survival of cells. Experiments have been conducted to see the effects of different levels of oxygen on wjMSC performance. In these experiments, wjMSCs were allowed to differentiate under normoxic and hypoxic conditions.

• Normoxia: 10 to 21% oxygen ^[56].
• Hypoxia: 1 to 5% oxygen ^[56].

Astonishingly, numerous experiments systematically found that wjMSCs survived as well as differentiated better and faster under hypoxic conditions ^{[51,52,53,54,55]}. This would indicate that wjMSCs are ideal in the treatment of stroke.

The use of wjMSCs in the treatment of stroke in humans is currently in the clinical trial phase. To date, there are four registered trials but results have yet to be posted ^{[57,58,59,60]}.

In 2013, four stroke patients were treated with wjMSCs by the Nanjing University School of Medicine. Patients 1, 2 and 3 had suffered ischemic strokes while Patient 4 had had a hemorrhagic stroke. They were assessed 6 months post-transplantation with the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) – used to measure the degree of disability or dependence in patients who have had a stroke ^[61]. Patients 2 and 3 demonstrated improved muscle strength of the arms while Patient 3 had improvements in his legs as well. An improvement in the modified Rankin scale was observed in two ischemic stroke patients while the hemorrhagic stroke patient failed to demonstrate improved muscle strength and did not amend his daily activities ^[62].

That same year, a collaborative Chinese study treated 10 stroke patients with wjMSCs. Between 2003 and 2011, six men and four women were assessed using the Clinic Neurological Impairment Scale and the Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living. The Clinic Neurological Impairment Scale records severity of functional impairment (rated 0-3) across 13 domains ^[63] while the Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living measures the extent to which somebody can function independently and has mobility in their activities of daily living i.e. feeding, bathing, grooming, dressing, bowel control, bladder control, toileting, chair transfer, ambulation and stair climbing ^[64]. All patients achieved neurological function amelioration including improved speech, muscle strength, muscular tension, balance, pain, and breathing; most patients had an increased Barthel index score and Clinic Neurologic Impairment Scale score as well ^[65].

A 5-year study between hospitals, bioengineering companies and universities in China explored the efficacy of three different treatment models – hematoma removal only (eight patients), hematoma removal and bone marrow MSCs transplantation (seven patients) and hematoma removal and wjMSCs transplantation (nine patients) in 24 cerebral hemorrhage patients. The 2016 trial assessed patients using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), modified Rankin score ^[61] and modified Barthel index scores ^[64]. Hematoma reabsorption was similar in all the groups, however, the patients who received wjMSC had better outcomes than those who underwent bMSC transplantation. These patients reported an average reduction of 13.5 points in their NIHSS scores up to 60 months post-transplantation ^[66].

Cyrona’s Program

Achieving high standards in our work is of paramount importance to us. Depending on a patient’s needs, we combine our premium grade Passage 2 wjMSCs with physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and/or rehabilitative medicine. 

Learn more about our Products and Programs.

Why Choose Cyrona?

• Latest cellular research and technology.
• Unique, tailored therapy outlines.
• Products that meet international standards.
• Microbiology & clinical team with extensive experience in advanced medicine.
• Board-certified physicians geared towards patient safety.
• Fact-based information from clinical studies and trials.
• No outlandish promises of a one-stop-cure or false improvement rates.

Therapy Packages

All our therapy packages come inclusive of:

INTERNATIONAL PATIENTS

• Premium grade Passage 2 wjMSCs.
• Treatment by qualified specialist(s).
• Certificate of Analysis (CoA).
• Airport transfer.
• Transportation to & from therapy session(s).
• Accommodation.
• Hospital room for therapy.

LOCAL PATIENTS

• Premium grade Passage 2 wjMSCs.
• Treatment by qualified specialist(s).
• Certificate of Analysis (CoA).
• Transportation to & from therapy session(s).
• Hospital room for therapy.

How Do We Proceed

All our therapies are charged based on the number of wjMSCs and supplementary infusions required for the patient’s specific condition. As no two people are alike, our specialists review each patient’s medical reports before tailoring a therapy catered to addressing his or her individual needs.

You may chat with one of our Customer Care Representatives or send an e-mail detailing the patient’s condition to one of our Liaison Officers. It would expedite the process if you can provide us with:

• Imaging results (MRI scan / CT scan / X-Ray).
• Hematology reports (blood test).
• Doctor’s assessment reports.
• Pictures or videos of the patient (if relevant).

Upon getting in touch with us, a Liaison Officer evaluates and assigns the case to the specialist best equipped to treat the condition. A therapy, unique only to the patient, is drawn up and a price quoted accordingly.

Should you decide to proceed with therapy, our specialists require that all patients have Cancer Marker Screening performed in their country of residence before travelling to us for therapy. If the patient has had Cancer Marker Screening within the last 3 months, you may e-mail those results to us. In the event that the patient’s Cancer Marker Screening results are not satisfactory, our specialists will refuse to proceed with therapy. It is for this reason that we requests that patients have Cancer Marker Screening performed in their country of residence prior to travelling to us.

One week prior to arrival, a deposit payment is required in order to arrange accommodation and transportation.

Full payment is required to be made one-day prior to therapy commencement.

Post-treatment, our specialist will provide the patient with a post-treatment protocol as well as what to expect on his or her journey towards a better, and hopefully, healthier new life.