Stroke and other cerebrovascular disorders are leading contributors to disability and death worldwide. Despite formidable advances in acute-phase interventions, such as mechanical thrombectomy and thrombolysis, many patients still experience significant long-term deficits, demonstrating the limitations of current treatments that focus primarily on hyperacute management. Conventional approaches have not sufficiently addressed the pressing need for therapies that can facilitate meaningful recovery and brain repair beyond the initial injury phase. Recent years have witnessed the convergence of two transformative fields—advanced neuroimaging and stem-cell based therapeutics. Modern neuroimaging can now delineate tissue viability, perfusion, microvascular integrity, and the complex dynamics of brain recovery with unprecedented precision, while stem-cell therapies present exciting possibilities for modulating inflammation, supporting neurogenesis and angiogenesis, and potentially restoring lost neural functions. Although each field shows promise in isolation, the interface between neuroimaging and cell-based therapies remains underexplored in cerebrovascular medicine. Emerging studies point to the potential of imaging biomarkers to personalise and optimise regenerative interventions, yet robust, mechanistic, and translational data remain limited.
This Research Topic aims to catalyse interdisciplinary research at the nexus of advanced neuroimaging and stem-cell based therapies for stroke and other cerebrovascular disorders. Specifically, it seeks to foster articles that go beyond descriptive accounts by generating mechanistic insights, employing imaging-derived endpoints in cell therapy studies, advancing novel imaging-guided therapeutic strategies, and investigating long-term processes of brain regeneration. Key objectives include clarifying the current landscape of cell-based interventions, critically reviewing innovations in neuroimaging modalities, interrogating the mutual influence of therapies and imaging biomarkers, and clarifying translational pathways from preclinical discoveries to first-in-human and later-phase trials. The overarching intention is to drive the field forward by spotlighting sophisticated scientific questions, fostering robust methodologies, and mapping the road toward effective, personalised regenerative treatments.
The scope of this Research Topic is focused on the intersection of novel neuroimaging techniques and cell-based therapies in cerebral ischemia and other vascular brain injuries, with a translational and mechanistic emphasis. Contributions addressing acute and chronic phases, as well as disorders beyond classic ischemic stroke, are welcome. To gather further insights into these boundaries, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Innovations in stem cell and cell-based therapies for stroke and cerebrovascular disease, including novel cell types, delivery routes, timing, and outcome measures
- Application and validation of advanced neuroimaging modalities for characterising cerebrovascular injury, repair, and monitoring regenerative processes
- Mechanistic links between imaging biomarkers and therapeutic efficacy: guiding patient selection, delivery targeting, and monitoring response
- Design and analysis of clinical trials integrating imaging endpoints into regenerative therapy assessment
- Translational and clinical pathways: preclinical imaging-cell therapy paradigms, early human studies, technical, ethical, and regulatory challenges
- Expansion of regenerative and imaging strategies to haemorrhagic stroke, small-vessel disease, vascular cognitive impairment, and other non-ischemic cerebrovascular syndromes
Article types and fees
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Brief Research Report
Clinical Trial
Editorial
FAIR² Data
General Commentary
Hypothesis and Theory
Methods
Mini Review
Opinion
Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.
Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
