The Stem Cell Source - Cord Blood and Beyond : Cord Blood Regsitry

Healthy Futures, Born Here: Protecting Newborn Futures

PublicAffairs — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:10:00 GMT

“We store every single sample as though it was my grandchild’s.”

-Tom Moore, CEO and co-founder of CBR

Since our father-daughter team, Tom Moore and Wendy Grant, co-founded CBR, it has grown to become the world’s largest stem cell bank, providing industry-leading technology and service to families by collecting, processing and storing newborn cord blood stem cells. Today, CBR houses more than 400,000 cord blood and cord tissue stem cell samples– including Tom’s 10 grandchildren.

Why did Tom and Wendy decide to start CBR? And how has CBR’s passion for quality allowed the company to expand and participate in cutting-edge clinical trials, which may make life-saving differences for countless families?

Visit cordblood.com to hear directly from Tom and Wendy about how CBR has grown and changed as a company over the years. And be sure to check out the other videos posted on our brand new web site, which tell the stories of the real people who work here.

Resource Helps Expectant Parents Understand Cord Blood Value and Options

PublicAffairs — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Approximately half of obstetricians report they have insufficient knowledge of umbilical cord blood banking to effectively answer patients’ questions about cord blood donation or family banking and desire more information or tools to effectively educate their patients, according to a study published in Transfusion. (1)

Filling that gap, a new resource called Cord Banking Basics at www.cordbankingbasics.com, launched by CBR® (Cord Blood Registry®), provides an interactive experience to educate expectant parents and others about cord blood, a rich source of unique stem cells that can be collected without ethical concerns and used in medical treatments for some cancers and blood disorders. Cord blood stem cells are also being studied in clinical trials for cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and hearing loss, and stem cells from tissue in the umbilical cord have demonstrated the power to heal spinal cord, brain, and cartilage injuries in laboratory studies.Yet, more than 90 percent of families are not taking advantage of their options to either privatelybank or donate cord blood to a public bank, instead this valuable resource is being discarded as medical waste.

“Cord blood transplants have become an accepted therapy for many diseases, but many expectant families still are not familiar with cord blood banking,” says David Zitlow, executive vice president, External Affairs at CBR. “We are providing this resource to help families make informed choices about preserving their newborns’ cord blood and cord tissue cells.”

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended in 2005 that pregnant women should be educated on the value of cord blood stem cells early in pregnancy. Since then, 27 states have passed laws to implement the IOM guidance on cord blood education.

Cord Banking Basics includes a description of current and potential uses for cord blood and tissue stem cells as well as the options for banking, an overview of the collection process and videos where a physician and families sharetheir thoughts and experiences with banking.

Reference:
(1) Walker T, Steckler D, Spellman S, et al. Awareness and acceptance of public cord blood banking among practicing obstetricians in the United States. Transfusion. 2011.

Why Bank Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells?

PublicAffairs — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:27:00 GMT

As families become more educated on umbilical cord banking, they may choose to bank their baby’s cord blood and cord tissue for different reasons. Some consider the fact that newborn stem cells are being used today to treat many life-threatening diseases. Others are drawn to current studies evaluating various newborn stem cell types and their potential ability to heal. Parents tell us every day why they chose to bank their baby’s newborn stem cells and we thought we’d share some of their reasons and thoughts with you. The more you know, the better equipped you are to make your decision.

“We were happy to save our first child's cord blood and we are even happier now that CBR is keeping up with research and having the ability to store umbilical cord tissue as well for our second child. Being able to help our children medically is priceless.” – Shirlene R.

“This is our third time banking with CBR, each time has been easy, stress free and very professional. I will continue to recommend CBR to all of my friends and family.” – Kristin G

“Both my spouse and I are medical professionals and would not miss the opportunity to provide for our family. We feel, although a financial investment, it is a small price to pay to save a life.”
– Christina D

Exclusive CBR Research

Three FDA-regulated clinical trials are underway looking at the use of a child’s own cord blood stem cells as a treatment for cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and hearing loss. In each of these trials, CBR has been chosen exclusively in the protocol to ensure consistency in the collection, processing, preservation and release of the cord blood stem cells. Research like this in the scientific community provides some families with a good reason to bank with CBR.

Everyone’s story is a little different, but ultimately, each family in this entry made the decision to bank their baby’s newborn stem cells and to do so with CBR. Perhaps it’s not a simple decision but it’s one worth becoming more educated about.

To learn more about what clients are saying about CBR, visit us on Facebook.

Researchers Begin First-of-Its-Kind Study on Hearing Loss in Children

PublicAffairs — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:39:00 GMT

Let’s “hear” it for new research to help children with hearing loss!

A new clinical trial launching this month will evaluate the safety of a child’s own cord blood stem cells to treat sensorineural hearing loss. It is the first FDA-regulated, Phase 1 safety study exploring the use of cord blood stem cells to treat children with sensorineural hearing loss.

The year-long trial, being conducted at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, will follow 10 children, aged six weeks to 18 months, who have sustained a post-birth hearing loss and who also have access to their own umbilical cord blood stem cells banked at Cord Blood Registry (CBR).Read more about the trial here.

“Children only have 18 months to acquire language skills and, if a child does not hear well, they will not acquire the language skills to speak normally,” said James Baumgartner, M.D., sponsor of the study and guest research collaborator at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston(UTHealth) Medical School.
Sensorineural hearing loss affects approximately 6 per 1000 children, with 9% resulting from acquired causes such as viral infection and head injury.(1,2,3) Most of the time, sensorineural hearing loss cannot be medically or surgically corrected.(4) Current interventions like hearing aids or cochlear implants are designed to augment the diminished function of the injured tissue.(5) In this new clinical trial, however, researchers are evaluating the safety of cord blood stem cells as a potential reparative treatment option for hearing loss in children.

This marks the third such clinical trial where researchers have partnered exclusively with CBR to focus on the use of children’s own cord blood stem cells for study in neurological applications. To ensure consistency in cord blood stem cell processing, storage and release for infusion, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) and Georgia Health Sciences University, home of the Medical College of Georgia, have all named CBR as their cord blood bank partner in their FDA-authorized protocols. This makes CBR the only family cord blood bank able to link its clients as potential clinical trial participants with researchers conducting these studies.

Visit the CBR Center for Regenerative Medicine to learn more about these ground-breaking clinical trials.

(1) Bergstrom L, Hemenway WG, Downs MP. A high risk registry to find congenital deafness. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 1977;4:369-399.
(2) Billings KR, Kenna MA. Causes of pediatric sensorineural hearing loss: yesterday and today. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1999 May;125(5):517-21.
(3) Smith RJ, Bale JF Jr, White KR. Sensorineural hearing loss in children. Lancet. 2005;365(9462):879-890.
(4) American Speech Language Hearing Association. Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Available at: http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Sensorineural-Hearing-Loss/. Accessed February 2011.
(5) National Institute on Deafness and Communications Disorders. Cochlear Implants. Available at: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/staticresources/health/hearing/FactSheetCochlearImplant.pdf. Accessed February 2011.

Memorial Hermann Foundation in Houston, Texas Awarded Newborn Possibilities Fund Grant for TBI clinical trial!

PublicAffairs — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:12:00 GMT

We are proud to announce that the Newborn Possibilities Fund (NPF) has awarded grant funding to support an innovative clinical trial for children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) led by Dr. Charles Cox at the University of Texas Health Science Center in collaboration with Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. The trial is investigating the use of a child’s own cord blood stem cells as therapy for TBI in children ages 18 months to 17 years. To ensure consistency in cord blood stem cell processing, storage and release for infusion, Cord Blood Registry, CBR, is the exclusive partner for this trial making the company the only family stem cell bank providing clients for this study. The grant will provide travel-related financial support to and from the trial site in Houston for participating families.

“Using cord blood is a critical link in the next step of UTHealth’s programmatic approach to researching stem cell therapies for brain injury,” Dr. Cox said. “Implementing this novel therapy has required strong partnerships with Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and the CBR Center for Regenerative Medicine, and is possible through a critical infrastructure investment by the state of Texas and private philanthropy.”

The NPF was created to help overcome financial barriers for families who qualify for participation in clinical research for conditions where limited treatment options currently exist, such as cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injury. The NPF directs financial grants to nonprofit organizations that help cover the cost of travel for families who have a child who is eligible to participate in cord blood stem cell FDA-regulated trials. The Fund is administered by Tides, a public charity, on behalf of CBR. Please visit the NPF website for more information or to make a donation. Thank you for your support!

Designated Treatment Program® For Families in Need

PublicAffairs — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:00:00 GMT

The birth of a baby is the start of a new life, but it can also be a life-saving opportunity for families with an existing medical need.

As a public service, CBR provides the Designated Treatment Program to families wishing to store their newborns’ umbilical cord blood stem cells for a family member diagnosed with a life-threatening disease that is treatable with stem cells. New this year, CBR will also store the cord tissue for families who qualify, in addition to the cord blood. Cord tissue is a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs from other cell sources have been shown to enhance the engraftment capacity of cord blood stem cells in transplant applications. If eligible, CBR will supply the collection kit and will process and store a newborn’s cord blood and cord tissue free of charge.

This community service program allows families, regardless of their financial situation, to have access to genetically related stem cells. In transplant medicine, using your own family’s cord blood can have significant advantages over unrelated sources of stem cells, including fewer complications and improved medical outcomes.(1,2)

How to Qualify
The oncologist or other attending physician must agree that the stem cells may be used for treatment,
and the designated recipient must:
• Be diagnosed with a disease currently treatable with a donor stem cell transplant
• Be a full sibling or parent to the newborn donor—a first-degree blood relative
• Be living in the United States
• Have an active disease or be in recent remission

At no cost, CBR provides all families who meet the eligibility criteria with:
• A collection kit
• Processing
• Five years of storage of the newborn’s stem cells

The only cost to families enrolled in the Designated Treatment Program (DTP) is a $150 shipping fee.

Click here for a list of diseases treated using stem cells including those eligible for the DTP. For more information on the DTP, please contact Cord Blood Registry at 1-888-932-6568.

(1) Gluckman E, et al. Outcome of cord-blood transplantation from related and unrelated donors. Eurocord Transplant Group and the European Blood and Marrow Transplantation Group. N Engl J Med. 1997;337(6):373-381.
(2) Bizzetto R, et al. Outcomes after related and unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation for hereditary bone marrow failure syndromes other than Fanconi anemia. Haematologica. 2011;96(1):134-141.

Spread the Word – September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month

PublicAffairs — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:45:00 GMT

For many, September marks the beginning of cool autumn days and back-to-school supplies. This month means something more for CBR: Sickle Cell Awareness Month. According to the CDC, sickle cell anemia, or sickle cell disease, affects about 70,000 - 100,000 Americans and about 2 million people carry the gene that potentially allows them to pass the disease on to their children.(1) Luckily, there is some promising news about the use of newborn stem cells in the treatment of blood disorders.

What is sickle cell?

In sickle cell disease, red blood cells become stiff and assume a sickle shape. Unlike healthy red blood cells, which are usually smooth and rounded, these cells are jagged and cannot squeeze through small blood vessels. This results in clogged blood flow and that deprives tissues of oxygen and results in repeated episodes of severe pain, organ damage, serious infections and anemia.(1)

The good news

People with sickle cell disease can live full lives and enjoy most activities by simply managing their disease. Recommendations for people living with the disease include keeping up with regular medical appointments and doing their best to keep a healthy immune system.

Sickle cell has also been cured completely through chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. Doctors have recognized the potential benefits of stem cell treatments for patients suffering from blood disorders, and in 1998, doctors performed the first successful unrelated cord blood transplant at the Emory University Department of Pediatrics. The patient was cured of sickle cell, and many more have been cured through the same types of therapy. While this breakthrough didn’t mean – and still does not mean – that cord blood transplants work in every case, some families and doctors have grown hopeful about the future benefits of cord blood stem cells. Read about our very own Joseph Davis, who was diagnosed with sickle cell. Thanks to a stem cell transplant from his younger brother, Joseph was cured and is now living a normal, healthy life without the disease.

Read about CBR’s Designated Treatment Program®. Families who qualify are able to store their newborn's umbilical cord blood stem cells free of charge for a family member diagnosed with a life-threatening disease treatable by donor stem cells.

Many still suffer from this painful disease, so take this month to continue your education about sickle cell disease and share your knowledge with others!

References:
(1) September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/Features/SickleCellAwareness/. (Accessed August 17, 2011).

Television’s The Doctors Answer Viewer Questions About Cord Blood Banking

PublicAffairs — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:43:00 GMT

The popular television advice show The Doctors, features four practitioners from four different specialties who tackle health and medical issues for people of all ages. In a recent episode they field a question from a home viewer inquiring about storing her third child’s umbilical cord blood. OB/GYN Lisa Masterson begins by saying, “what I tell all my patients is it is not going to hurt the baby and it has life saving potential right now, and stem cell research is exploding right now!” Watch the clip yourself and hear more of her thoughts.

Many expectant parents pose this same question to their doctors while trying to evaluate the benefits of cord blood banking. If you, a family member or a friend is expecting, then pass along this video segment to help them get educated. You can also learn more through the Cord Blood Education Center at www.cordblood.com/learn.

Cord Blood Awareness Month is Here: Share the Value Today

PublicAffairs — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:30:00 GMT

July is Cord Blood Awareness month and the goal is to educate expectant parents and others about the value of cord blood stem cells.

Why Bank?

The umbilical cord that joins mother and child could also connect you or your family to the medicine of the future. Today newborn stem cells from the umbilical cord blood hold medical value, having been used successfully for more than 20 years in transplant medicine to treat blood and immune disorders such as leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia. Medical research continues to investigate ground-breaking therapies using a child’s own cord blood stem cells as a possible treatment for diseases which currently have no cures like Type I diabetes, traumatic brain injury, and cerebral palsy. For more information on the FDA-regulated trials that started since last July visit the National Institutes of Health or view what doctors think about banking cord blood stem cells .

Keep it or Donate it, Just Don’t Throw it Away

To help educate expectant parents about their cord blood options, CBR created the Cord Blood Education Center, an online program that provides interested parties the basics of cord blood banking. There are three options for the baby’s cord blood

Option 1: Family Banking

Cord blood is collected and stored, for a fee, for exclusive use by baby and family should a need arise in the future.

Option 2: Public Donation
Cord blood is donated anonymously for potential use by a patient in need. It is not reserved for your family.

Option 3: Cord Blood Disposal
More than 90% of the time, cord blood is disposed as medical waste.

Perhaps with the onset of Cord Blood Awareness month, we can begin to reverse the trend of throwing this important medical resource in the trash. So this July, whether you are on the road, poolside, camping or enjoying a barbeque with friends and family, share what you about cord blood with every growing family.

Banking on the Future Without Breaking the Bank

PublicAffairs — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:34:00 GMT

Even parents who understand the value of banking their newborn’s stem cells and want to make it a priority, can become overwhelmed by thoughts of all the expenses associated with having a baby. We often hear, “I’m not sure I know how to work this into the budget.”

One of the frequent concerns people express when it comes to family banking is cost. The value of cord blood banking has been made clear to them but the cost hurdle may be something they have difficulty overcoming.

This describes the situation for Pamela G., a flight attendant and expecting mother from Alabama. She knew that she wanted to save her baby’s cord blood and was going to take “no risks” when it came to her son’s health. Her family made the decision to bank and looked for ways to fit it in their budget—because at first glance, it might not have.

“We called our Cord Blood Education Specialist, and found a payment plan that worked for us,” said Pamela. “We also signed up to use the CBR Gift Registry to help get a little bit closer to our goal.”

Cord Blood Registry recognizes concerns like Pamela’s and education specialists are dedicated to helping make cord blood banking fit every family’s budget. CBR now offers personalized plans for you that help you fit cord blood banking into a family budget, as well as the option to allow friends and family to contribute towards saving this valuable medical resource with the CBR Gift Registry.

When exploring these payment options, the brand new CBR Savings Calculator is available to let families customize a plan that works best for their budget. Families are able to look at how potential gift registry contributions and prepayments can lower the amount due at birth. They can also see how different payment plans can fit their monthly budget.

CBR wants to make sure - just like Pamela’s family - that every family can afford to save their baby’s cord blood stem cells. Visit CBR’s new Pricing & Payment Options page to customize your own plan and see how cord blood banking may be more affordable than you think.

Saving Umbilical Cords Saves Lives

PublicAffairs — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:46:00 GMT

Public education is critical to helping parents understand the value of cord blood stem cells. That was the message Dr. Frances Verter delivered in an op-ed she recently penned for The Baltimore Sun. Dr. Verter should know – she is the founder and executive director of the Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation and the website ParentsGuideCordBlood.org, which provides expectant parents with information about cord blood stem cells and cord blood banks.

Dr. Verter is also the parent of a child who passed away in 1997 from leukemia, a condition that can be treated with cord blood stem cells. As a result, “I have made it my life's mission to educate expectant parents about the value of these cells, and hopefully persuade them not to throw them away,” Dr. Verter explains in her editorial.

You can read the full text of Dr. Verter’s op-ed here.

Opening the Possibilities of New Therapies for Children

PublicAffairs — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 23:18:00 GMT

The holidays are a joyous time, especially for children. But that isn’t always the case for families with a child who is injured or ill, especially if there are limited treatment options to address their condition.

That’s why the mission of the non-profit Newborn Possibilities Fund is so important. This first-of-its-kind initiative was created with the goal of offering financial support to families who have a young child enrolled in FDA-regulated clinical trials evaluating the use of the child’s own cord blood stem cells for brain injury. The ultimate goal is to advance clinical research that may help children lead more normal, healthy lives.

From now until the end of the year, CBR will match all donations of $25 or more made to the Newborn Possibilities Fund. Not only will your support make a difference to a family in need, but it will contribute to advancing an important area of medical research in pediatric brain injuries where current treatment options for are limited.
According to the United Cerebral Palsy Research and Education Foundation, each year 10,000 babies and infants are diagnosed with cerebral palsy and an additional 1,200 - 1,500 preschool age children are also recognized to have cerebral palsy.

However, researchers are studying how a child's own cord blood stem cells may help the body repair and regenerate damaged nerve tissue. The Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine is already accepting patients for the first FDA-approved clinical trial to evaluate the use of a child's own cord blood stem cells as a medical intervention for cerebral palsy.

The study will enroll 40 children ages 2-12 who meet the inclusion criteria for the study and whose cord blood is stored at Cord Blood Registry. To donate this holiday season and encourage friends and family to do the same, please click here.

* The non-profit Newborn Possibilities Fund (NPF) is a donor-advised fund created by CBR and administered by the Tides Foundation, a public charity. In support of the NPF’s mission, CBR recommends grants be directed to non-profit institutions to provide financial assistance for families with a child participating in FDA-regulated clinical trials evaluating the use of the child’s own cord blood stem cells for conditions like cerebral palsy or pediatric brain injury.

Encouraging Study Results Using Cord Blood Stem Cells to Repair Spinal Cord Injuries

PublicAffairs — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:48:00 GMT

The start of the first clinical trial evaluating the use of embryonic stem cells in patients with spinal cord injuries has been widely reported in the media. What the news coverage doesn’t mention is that newborn stem cells from cord blood and cord tissue are also being researched in animals for use in spinal cord repair based on their ability to help prevent further damage and stimulate healing.(1,2 ,3)

Unlike embryonic stem cells, cord blood stem cells have been used in human patients for more than 20 years and have an established safety profile. And using a person’s own stem cells (like those that come from their bone marrow or umbilical cord) eliminates the need for immunosuppressive therapies and carries no risk of rejection.

Laboratory research using newborn stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries in animal models has shown encouraging results. Cord tissue stem cells injected into animal models of severed spinal cords demonstrated the ability to stimulate regeneration, reduce scar formation and significantly improve motor function compared to controls.(4) Additional studies found that cord blood stem cells significantly increased the rate of improvement in motor function compared to controls in animal models of acute compression injuries (5) and that the stem cells’ therapeutic effects may be a result of their ability to reduce inflammation and promote wound healing.(6)

A clinical trial was also recently initiated to investigate the safety and efficacy of cord blood for the treatment of chronic spinal cord injuries by the China Spinal Cord Injury Network in collaboration with the University of Hong Kong.(7) The trial plans to enroll 20 adult patients who will receive HLA-matched cord blood injections with neurological and walking outcomes assessed 3 days and 1, 2, 6, 24 and 48 weeks after treatment.

Although additional work is needed to determine the safety, efficacy and cell administration, preclinical research evaluating the use of newborn stem cells in spinal cord injury is showing encouraging results and demonstrates yet another condition that could potentially benefit from this therapeutic approach.

1) Neuhoff S, et al. Proliferation, differentiation and cytokine secretion of human umbilical cord blood-derived mononuclear cells in vitro. Exp Hematol. Jul 2007;35(7):1119-1131.
2) Newman MB, et al. Cytokines produced by cultured human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) cells: implications for brain repair. Exp Neurol. May 2006:199(1):201-208.
3) Cho SR, et al. Neurally induced umbilical cord blood cells modestly repair injured spinal cords. Neuroreport. Aug 27 2008:19(13):1259-1263.
4) Yang CC, et al. Transplantation of human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells from Wharton’s jelly after complete transaction of the rat spinal cord. PLoS One. 2008;3(10):e3336.
5) Chua SJ, et al. The effect of umbilical cod blood cells on outcomes after experimental traumatic spinal cord injury. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). Jul 15;35(16):1520-1526.
6) Veeravalli KK, et al. Human umbilical cord blood stem cell upregulate matrix metalloproteinase-2 in rats after spinal cord injury. Neurobiol Dis. Oct 2009;36(1):200-212.
7)Safety and Feasibility of Umbilical Cord Blood Cell Transplantation Into Injured Spinal Cord. China Spinal Cord Injury Network. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT0146786.

Healing Bones with a Specific Type of Stem Cell

PublicAffairs — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 22:37:00 GMT

Emerging research is showing the potential to repair bone injuries using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a particular type of stem cell with several unique characteristics. MSCs are found in large quantities in a newborn’s umbilical cord and also in cord blood and bone marrow.
This research suggests that newborn tissues, like umbilical cord blood or cord tissue, may prove to be an optimal source to create bone grafts.( 1) Several preclinical studies have demonstrated that newborn MSCs can successfully create bone grafts and stimulate bone regeneration.( 2,3 4, )

MSCs give rise to many types of specialized cells that are the building blocks of connective tissue, bone, cartilage, and the circulatory and lymphatic systems. Given their unique properties, MSCs are well-suited for use in tissue engineering to create a bone graft. Bone grafting is a surgical procedure that currently involves replacing missing bone with transplanted tissue, the most common source of which comes from the patient’s own bones where limited tissue is available and the procedure for obtaining it can lead to medical complications. These drawbacks have led researchers to explore the possibility of tissue engineering using a patient’s own MSCs.

Current tissue engineering techniques use a scaffold made of biomaterials to support the growth of MSCs and to create a bone graft. These techniques have already shown success in preliminary clinical studies by 1) promoting the repair of severe bone defects and 2) providing assistance with spinal fusions in a small number of patients who received a graft created from their own bone marrow MSCs.(5, 6,7 8 )

In March 2010, researchers at Columbia University reported that they created a tissue-engineered jaw bone using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from bone marrow. MSCs naturally give rise to connective tissue such as bone and cartilage, making bone regeneration one of the most investigated therapeutic areas for MSCs today.

Given the promising research described above, and considering MSCs are the building blocks of connective tissue such as bone and cartilage, newborn MSCs may prove to be beneficial in bone repair.

1)Jager M, Zilkens C, Bittersohl B, Krauspe R. Cord Blood-An Alternative Source for Bone Regeneration. Stem Cell Rev Rep. Aug 4 2009.
2)Kang JM, Kang SW, La WG, Yang YS, Kim BS. Enhancement of in vivo bone regeneration efficacy of osteogenically undifferentiated human cord blood mesenchymal stem cells. J Biomed Mater Res A. Jul 16 2009.
3) Jager M, Degistirici O, Knipper A, Fischer J, Sager M, Krauspe R. Bone healing and migration of cord blood-derived stem cells into a critical size femoral defect after xenotransplantation. J Bone Miner Res. 2007;22(8):1224-1233.
4)Wang FS, Yang KD, Wang CJ, et al. Shockwave stimulates oxygen radical-mediated osteogenesis of the mesenchymal cells from human umbilical cord blood. J Bone Miner Res. 2004;19(6):973-982.
5) Gan Y, Dai K, Zhang P, Tang T, Zhu Z, Lu J. The clinical use of enriched bone marrow stem cells combined with porous beta-tricalcium phosphate in posterior spinal fusion. Biomaterials. 2008;29(29):3973-3982.
6) Jager M, Jelinek EM, Wess KM, et al. Bone marrow concentrate: a novel strategy for bone defect treatment. Curr Stem Cell Res Ther. 2009;4(1):34-43.
7) Kitoh H, Kitakoji T, Tsuchiya H, et al. Transplantation of marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and platelet-rich plasma during distraction osteogenesis—a preliminary result of three cases. Bone. 2004;35(4):892-898.
8) Marcacci M, Kon E, Moukhachev V, et al. Stem cells associated with macroporous bioceramics for long bone repair: 6- to 7-year outcome of a pilot clinical study. Tissue Eng. 2007;13(5):947-955.

Cord Blood Stem Cells Treat Spinal Cord Injury in Animal Study

PublicAffairs — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:20:00 GMT

A study published this month in the journal Spine, found that stem cells from a human newborn umbilical cord can improve neurologic function of rats after an acute spinal cord injury.

The rats treated in the study with cord blood stem cells experienced a significantly improved recovery of locomotor function (the ability to move from place to place) over a six week period compared to untreated rats. In addition, six weeks after treatment, the injured area was noticeably smaller in the treated animals than in the untreated animals.

Most spinal cord injuries are compression injuries, in which the damaged nerve cells in the spinal cord are still intact, but have lost a coating called myelin that helps them transmit signals from the brain to the rest of the body, leaving them nonfunctional. Lost myelin does not regularly grow back on its own following an injury, and so the goal of this study was to determine if cord blood stem cells could help initiate its regeneration in rats with compression injuries to the spinal cord.

Research to date has shown increasing evidence that stem cells from cord blood have the ability to help with repairing and regenerating other cells in the body by helping to regulate inflammation, assisting with the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and promoting cellular growth by secreting proteins and other growth factors.

This study adds to the growing body of evidence that supports the therapeutic use of cord blood stem cells for nerve repair.