Microglia transcriptome systematic scoring to evaluate the efficacy of human cord derived mesenchymal stem cells treatment protocols in a rat model of inflammation associated preterm infant brain injury.

In this study, we undertook comprehensive dose, timing, and route of administration testing integrating multimodal data from preclinical models of brain injury common in preterm-born infants to validate the most effective therapeutic option for cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell product (HuMSC). We developed a scoring protocol based on microglia transcriptome analyses and myelin protein expression to evaluate the efficacy of the HuMSC product in a rat model of inflammation-associated preterm infant brain injury. We identified the superiority of treatment delivered in the tertiary phase of injury over treatments in the acute or subacute stages and the superiority of intranasal over intravenous HuMSC delivery.