Background: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability which affects around 13 million people annually. Despite this, treatment options remain limited. The development of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology by Yamanaka and colleagues offers a new opportunity for restoring function to stroke survivors. While iPSCs are showing potential in animal models, to the best of our knowledge no systematic review has yet been conducted.

Methods: We performed a keywords literature search in PubMed and Embase to identify relevant studies. Our inclusion criteria included controlled studies, any adult animal model of stroke and transplantation of iPSCs or iPSC-derived cells. Study quality and risk of bias was assessed using a 10-point CAMARADES checklist.

Results: Following screening, a total of 27 studies were included. The majority used human iPSCs (n=21) and induced ischaemic stroke using a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model (n=19). The median score of the CAMARADES checklist was 5/10 (IQR: 4-7). While all studies were peer-reviewed and the vast majority complied with welfare regulations (88.9%), reporting of blinding to induction of stroke and assessment of outcome was low (44.4% and 48.2% respectively). A total of 21 studies reported that iPSCs lead to significant improvements in outcomes.

Conclusions: The results suggest that iPSCs show great potential for the treatment of stroke leading to improvements in neurological function and lesion volume. However, improvements in study design and reporting in future research are required.