Exciting News from US News & World Report: Duke University Cerebral Palsy Clinical Trial Results

Duke University Cerebral Palsy

An exciting new study just published by researchers at Duke University showed that the use of a child’s own cord blood in children with cerebral palsy was safe, and that some children had improvement in their muscle movements. Read on for this cerebral palsy news!

The study was initiated to evaluate if cord blood might be a potential treatment option for children with cerebral palsy. Based on the results of the study, the researchers believe that a child’s own cord blood may help to improve whole brain connectivity and motor function, when the cord blood cell dose is appropriate. In this phase II study, 22 of the children participating were infused with their own cord blood stem cells stored with CBR.

The trial at Duke University was designed as a double-blind crossover study, in which each participant is randomly assigned to receive cord blood or placebo, monitored for one year, then ‘crossed over’ where they receive the opposite product and are monitored for an additional year. The participants, families, and primary researchers do not know when the participant received the cord blood or the placebo (i.e., they were “blinded”).

Some exciting results include that children who received cord blood infusions above the median cell dose (>20 million total nucleated cells per kilogram) demonstrated statistically significant improvements in gross motor function compared to those receiving lower doses or the placebo. The study also showed that children who received the higher cell dose had improved whole brain connectivity compared to children who received lower cell doses.

As part of CBR’s commitment to advancing the science of newborn stem cells, we are also supporting two clinical trials on cerebral palsy at Augusta University and the University of Texas. If you would like to learn more or are interested in connecting to clinical trials, call us at 888.240.1996.

10 thoughts on “Exciting News from US News & World Report: Duke University Cerebral Palsy Clinical Trial Results

  1. Can a child’s first cousin’s cord blood cells be used to treat child’s Cerebral Palsy? Can this be tried? I have been saving the same for years now if this can be helpful!

    1. Hi Uthara,

      Thank you for your inquiry. Who can use the cells will depend on the treatment. You can learn about the uses here or by calling us at 888.240.1996. Because this particular study was an autologous study (meaning a patient uses his or her own stem cells) and it has concluded, using your sample would not be an option in this study at this time. Continue to follow us to learn about future studies and to connect with a clinical trial to participate.

  2. Dear Sir/Madam

    I am a mom with a 10 year old daughter with CP. Cyra was born at 7 months with hydrops fetalis non-immune at Winnie Palmer Hospital in Orlando FL June 30, 2007. She spent 13 weeks in the NICU before going home with a G-Tube. It was an emergency C-section that was done, and we were not able to save her cord blood, but I did have another daughter and saved her cord blood. I would be very much interested to hear if a sibling’s cord blood can be used.

    1. Hi Bibi,

      Thank you for reaching out and inquiring about this trial. Because this particular study was an autologous study (meaning a patient uses his or her own stem cells) and it has concluded, your daughter would not be eligible at this time. However, please call us at 888.240.1996 and ask to speak with one of our Genetic Counselors about signing up to receive information about future studies and who can use your stored sample.

  3. At the end of the article a mention was made that children who had higher does of the cells had increased whole brain connectivity. Wondering if that could help with autism/ADHD symptoms?

  4. Dear Sir/Madam
    I am enquiring about a 39 year old patient who has spastic diplegia since birth. Could he be eligible for stem cell transplantation? The patient is willing to travel to USA, if necessary.
    Thank you

    1. Hi there, Do you have your baby’s stem cells store with us here at CBR? That will help me to provide the best answer for your question. Thank you.

  5. Hello, my grandson started having seizures in August when he was 5 months old. Genetic testing and chromsomal arry were negative. His sister was recently born and we banked her stem cells and tissue. Would my grandson be able to use her stem cells?

    1. Hi. We’re sending our best to your family. 💜💜 We’d recommend you complete or update your Family Health Questionnaire. This way, you’ll be among the first to know about emerging research relevant to your child’s diagnosis and newborn stem cells. If you have more specific questions, please fill out this form in your online client account to connect with one of our clinical specialists: https://www.cordblood.com/client-center/#/login?page=adv-science

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