Asia. The added advantage of this treatment is that the procedure is simple and safe and there is no risk of rejection or complications normally involved with a donor
transplant. Although to date outcomes
are only anecdotal, in several cases both parents and healthcare providers have reported remarkable improvements in these children. The results of these ongoing clinical trials are eagerly awaited by the medical community and families.
Cerebral Palsy
REGENERATIVE MEDICINE Regenerative medicine is seen as the next evolution of medical treatment. This new field shows real promise in developing therapies and treatments for previously untreatable diseases and conditions. It has a central focus on human stem cells but includes numerous areas, such as cell therapy, tissue engineering, growth factors, paracrine effects, transplantation science and others.
The purpose of human stem cells is
to repair, replace or regenerate, thus numerous sources of cells have been researched and one of the limitations of regenerative medicine remains the availability of the most suitable source. To date the most suitable source of cells for this revolutionizing field remains an area of intense debate and research. Autologous stem cells have great advantages over allogeneic cells and this is increasingly the focus of regenerative medicine.
CORD BLOOD STEM CELLS AS A SOURCE FOR REGENERATIVE MEDICINE Beyond the accepted and traditional applications for cord blood stem cells in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplants, cord blood is also emerging as a source for regenerative medicine and cellular therapy. The cord blood is a rich source of progenitors and stem cells, not only HSCs, but also other stem cells that have been implicated in regenerative medicine. Current ongoing clinical trials are actively pursuing this source of stem cells in the treatment of a variety of diseases.
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It is estimated that one in every 500 children suffers from Cerebral Palsy (CP). Cerebral Palsy results from damage to certain parts of the developing brain, chiefly in the area of body movement. As prevention and prediction is often difficult, no one is immune. To date there is no curative treatment and researchers believe that regenerative stem cell therapies may offer a treatment option to regenerate or repair damage to the
«Today more than 20,000 cord blood hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) have been performed worldwide for numerous diseases»
brain. Initial pre-clinical work showed that umbilical cord blood stem cells could divide down the neural lineage and animal studies showed marked clinical improvement in CP following human cord blood stem cell transplantations. Following on this pre-clinical work, a pioneering pilot study was recently completed by Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg and colleagues at Duke’s University transfusing children diagnosed with CP and who had stored their own umbilical cord blood at birth, with these stem cells. Encouraging results from this pilot study of 184 children has led to two FDA approved clinical trials in the United States (Duke’s University and Medical College of Georgia) and further studies and clinical trials in Europe and
Traumatic Brain Injury Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is defined as a blow or jolt to the head or penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of the brain. We are all vulnerable to the most common causes like falls, motor vehicle accidents, or assaults. The high cost and the long-term consequences of such injuries has led researchers and physicians to look at the role of stem cells to improve the outcomes of patients suffering from a wide range of functional changes due to these traumatic brain injuries. The University of Texas recently completed a pilot trial showing the safety of infusing autologous bone marrow stem cells in children with TBI and following this safety data, in January 2011 they announced the launch of a new FDA trial studying the effects of infusion of autologous cord blood on children aged 18 months to 17 years who have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. A follow up of these children will be done up to two years after the infusion.
Other diseases Besides the above mentioned diseases, other ongoing pre-clinical and clinical studies and trials are exploring this valuable source of stem cells and include hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, spinal cord injury, stroke, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, burns, wounds, peripheral artery disease and others.
CORD TISSUE AS A SOURCE FOR REGENERATIVE MEDICINE OR CELLULAR THERAPY In addition to hematopoietic stem cells, the most widely studied stem cells are mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The tissue from the umbilical cord of newborn babies is one of the richest
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