Could stem cells help stroke patients recover? new trial begins

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Patients must be aged ≥ 18 years old. 2. Patients with acute ischemic stroke symptom onset within 4 weeks. 3. Patients diagnosed with "moderate to severe" based on NIHSS (6-24) at the time of recruitment. 4. Patients who are not eligible for thrombolysis or thrombectomy. 5. Written informed consent by the patient or next-of-kin. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients who are medically unfit such as those who are haemodynamically unstable or whose general condition is deteriorating. 2. Patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA). 3. Patients who have been diagnosed with malignancy (past or present) or primary haematological disorders. 4. Patients who have renal impairment with serum creatinine more than 200 µmol/l or creatinine clearance less than 30 ml/min. 5. Patients who have liver impairment with serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) two times greater than upper normal limit. 6. Patients who are pregnant or are breastfeeding. 7. Patients diagnosed with brain hemorrhage or other pathological brain disorders such as vascular malformation (brain arteriovenous malformation), tumor, abscess, cardiogenic, inflammatory and infectious cerebral embolism or other common non- ischemic brain diseases, or diagnosed with severe brain atrophy, as determined by CT or MRI scans. 8. Patients diagnosed/suspected diagnosis with acute coronary syndrome. 9. Patients with congestive cardiac failure. 10. Patients with history of confirmed or suspected pulmonary embolism or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 11. Patients with mental, cognitive or psychological disorders that affects their understanding and adherence to research procedures and follow-ups. 12. Patients that are undergoing experimental drug or instrument testing or have participated in other clinical drug trials in the past 3 months.