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.