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How can a human improve their double cortin positive cells for brain damage self-repair?
Hello and thanks for asking Wonder about improving double cortin positive cells for brain damage self-repair. The most useful sources are Stanford University's website and the National Institutes for Health.
In short, after a thorough search of charities and medical organizations, the only funding avenues I found that could assist with costs associated with traveling to Lausanne to visit Dr. Boch are crowdfunding sites. I also could not find any evidence that Dr. Boch is currently running any human clinical trials in this area.
There are several studies similar to Dr. Boch's work being conducted in the US. There is also a lot of research on alternative methods of neurorestoration after stroke that you may find valuable. I've included a clinical trial at Stanford Medical School that is very similar to Dr. Bloch's work. There are also many other trials for cell transplantation and neural modulation post-stroke included in a table.
CROWDFUNDING
There are several crowdfunding sites that assist with medical expenses. GoFundMe is perhaps the most well-known site. YouCaring, GiveForward, and Plum Fund are other alternatives. PlumFund is a free service, though the do charge processing fees for credit card donations.
STANFORD STROKE CENTER
Dr. Gary Steinberg of Stanford Medical School is conducting similar research to that done by Dr. Jocelyne Bloch and her team. Stanford Medical School may be your best bet. Dr. Steinberg is the founder and Co-Director of the Stanford Stroke Center. This article explains his team's process of injecting SB623 cells —mesenchymal stem cells derived from the bone marrow of two donors and then modified to beneficially alter the cells’ ability to restore neurologic function — into patients’ brains. They screened 379 patients and selected 18. The average age was 61 years. There was an 11.4-point improvement in motor-function according to the Fugl-Meyer test, which specifically gauges patients’ movement deficits.
A new 2b trial aims to enroll 156 chronic stroke patients is now actively recruiting patients. Steinberg is the principal investigator of the trial and can be contacted at stemcellstudy@stanford.edu.
OTHER TRIALS AND STUDIES
According to the NIH, there are a number of on-going trials for cell-based therapies and neuromodulation, the 2 fields that have demonstrated the greatest promise in promoting recovery. Existing stroke therapies include intravenous tPA and neuroprotection via mild neurological hypothermia, Inhibition of postsynaptic density-95 protein (PSD-95), and mediating the Ca2+ dysregulation after stroke.
In 2012, researchers Radmila Filipovic, Saranya Santhosh Kumar, Chris Fiondella, and Joseph Loturco released results of a study called "Increasing Doublecortin Expression Promotes Migration of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Neurons." A 2013 study, abstracted in Science Direct, showed that "environmental enrichment increases doublecortin-associated new neurons." Additionally, recent studies have shows that zinc and exercise have a positive impact on doublecortin production.
I also found a clinical trial for AMPLATZER™ Amulet™ is currently recruiting, though this may not fit your particular situation. The study targets patients with permanent atrial fibrillation (AF). St. Vincent hospital in Indianapolis is participating in the study.
CONCLUSION
To sum it up, while I could not find any specific grants or funding to assist with travel to see Dr. Bloch, I did learn that the study neurorestoration in the US is being led by Dr. Gary Steinburg of Stanford University. Additionally I have provided information on other cell-based and neuromodulation therapies in the US.
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