Stemming Stroke's Effects

Stroke has been a notoriously difficult condition to treat, but SanBio Co. Ltd. and ReNeuron Group plc think stem cell therapies can reverse the symptoms of disabled patients many months after the event. The companies have competing products in Phase I testing to teat stable stroke, but see plenty of room on the market for both.

Stroke results in a pattern of rising and falling inflammation in the brain that can persist for two months or more, according to SanBio CEO Keita Mori. The challenge, he said, would be to demonstrate that stem cells might work in this window because residual inflammation would make function endpoints "moving targets."...