Based on a U.S. News and World Report article about the study, those with corneal diseases may stand to benefit most if/when such a therapy were to become clinically available.  They wouldn’t need to wait for a donated cornea, which, as the article states, are in short supply, so the prospect of an alternative therapy would be helpful.

More than 80 clinical trials are already underway using MSCs, and doctors are enthusiastic about the results reported for therapies addressing several conditions, including stroke, heart attack, bone injuries and autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. In addition, because MSCs serve as the foundation of connective tissue, applications in treating common joint and sports injuries may be another potential application with widespread use.  MSCs are found in bone marrow, fat tissue, and the umbilical cord.

Post from: CordBank New Zealand

In essence, the reporter failed to recognize the difference between overseas “stem cell clinics” offering “unproven cures” and accredited cord blood banks in the U.S. that are facilitating FDA-approved research using a child’s own cord blood stem cells for new medical uses.

The story focused on comments made by one stem cell researcher, Dr. Irving Weissman, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  Dr. Weissman appropriately denounces the practices of non-accredited “stem cell clinics,” which are often based in foreign countries with poor medical regulations, that offer infusions of stem cells as definitive treatments for a wide range of conditions.  Several medical bodies and institutions have raised concerns about the inability of these clinics to substantiate their medical claims as well as the risk they pose to patient safety.

This is very different from the scientifically-valid and regulatory-approved research occurring in countries like the U.S. where pioneering physicians are studying the use of a child’s own cord blood stem cells as treatments for type 1 diabetes(1) and cerebral palsy(2).   In fact, just last week Medical College of Georgia announced a new FDA-approved clinical trial to evaluate the use of a child’s own cord blood stem cells to treat cerebral palsy.  It’s important to know that participants in these clinical trials were eligible because they had access to their own, genetically-unique cord blood stem cells because their parents made the decision to privately bank them at birth.

The protocols for these clinical trials require participants to have access to their own cord blood stem cells because they provide a guaranteed biological tissue match, do not require preparatory therapies like chemotherapy, do not pose the immune complications of donor cell infusions, and eliminate the need for anti-rejection drugs which can create complications.  In other words, using a child’s own cord blood stem cells allows researchers to explore the potential of these cells in a way that is safe for patients. 

It’s also important to note, that cord blood stem cells have been used for more than two decades to treat nearly 80 conditions, including certain cancers, blood disorders and immune diseases.  Furthermore, stem cell researchers and leading medical organizations recognize that cord blood stem cells have unique characteristics.  In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states that cord blood stem cells “offers several distinct advantages” over other sources of stem cells when used in treatments for these types of conditions(3). 
 
_________________________________________________
(1)Clincialtrials.gov. Umbilical Cord Blood Infusion to Treat Type 1 Diabetes. University of Florida. http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00305344?term=cord+blood+and+diabetes&rank=1. Accessed February 2010.
(2)Clinicaltrials.gov. Safety and Effectiveness of Cord Blood Stem Cell Infusion for the Treatment of Cerebral Palsy in Children. Medical College of Georgia. http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01072370?term=cerebral+palsy+and+cord+blood&rank=1. Accessed February 2010.
(3)ACOG Committee Opinion. Umbilical Cord Blood Banking. Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2008;111(2):475-477.

Post from: CordBank New Zealand

The website explains that within the past few years, clinical trials have begun to explore the efficacy of autologous cord blood infusions for the correction of a number of pediatric conditions, and provides an overview of the transplants or infusions where a child has received his or her own cord blood.

In addition, Cord Blood Registry provides an overview of  stem cell therapy data and Viacord has an update on infusions for emerging treatments.

Post from: CordBank New Zealand

“Cord blood is one piece of that puzzle,” Cox said. “There aren’t any good restorative therapies for brain injury, which is why we got into this years and years ago.”

So far, cord blood can treat 80 different diseases – a convincing statistic to the neo-natal staff. To read more

Dr Cox directs the Pediatric Surgical Translational Laboratories and Pediatric Program in Regenerative Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, which address problems that originate with traumatic injury and the consequences of resuscitation and critical care. The Program focuses on progenitor cell based therapy (stem cells) for traumatic brain injury, and related neurological injuries (hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, stroke, spinal cord injury), recently completing the first acute, autologous cell therapy treatment Phase I study for traumatic brain injury in children. To read more about Dr Cox

Post from: CordBank New Zealand

February 17, 2010

Mark Henderson, Science Editor

The medical potential of reprogrammed stem cells that do not require the destruction of embryos has been exaggerated, according to the head of one of the world’s leading regenerative medicine companies.

Thomas Okarma, the chief executive of Geron Corporation, told The Times that while so-called induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells will be extremely useful in research, they are unlikely to be suitable for transplanting to patients to treat disease.

“IPS cells have been talked up as therapy by people with no experience of developing therapies,” Dr Okarma said. More>

Post from: CordBank New Zealand

“We decided to register with CordBank due to Dougall’s history of Leukaemia. We wanted the security of knowing that should our baby experience any health issue in the future then we have provided the best option for cure with cord blood banking.

We have both known about banking cord blood for a few years now and after speaking with family and friends we know we’ve made the right decision for us and our baby.

The cost involved was no question when it comes to our baby’s health, but winning our $750 Collection Kit was a wonderful bonus. Now we’re just so excited to welcome our baby into our family!” commented Claire.

Post from: CordBank New Zealand

Whilst we can’t give you the celebrity lifestyle, we can give you a $50 Farmers gift card for free! All you need to do is refer a friend or family member who then registers to have their baby’s cord blood collected, and you’ll both receive a $50 Farmers gift card.

Post from: CordBank New Zealand

“Dear Kate, Kylie and everyone at CordBank,

We would like to thank you all for all the hard work you did for us organising to have the cord blood of our beautiful daughter, Olivia Maddison, collected from Malaysia.

We greatly appreciate it and loved dealing with such fantastic people.

Thank you, Denise, Jon & Olivia Hautler.”

If you are living abroad and would like to find out more about having the cord blood collected and delivered to New Zealand, email us at info@cordbank.co.nz

Post from: CordBank New Zealand

Emily Sanson-Réjouis from Nelson lost her husband Emmanuel and daughters Kofie-Jade and Zenzie in the earthquake. Fortunately daughter Alyahna survived, and Emily and Alyahna have since returned to Nelson to be with family.

This month, Emily set up Foundation Réjouis to realise Emmanuel’s aspiration of providing inspirational educational opportunities for the disadvantaged children of his birth-country Haiti – opportunities beyond traditional learning, such as sports and music education.

Emily and Emmanuel had banked the cord blood for their three girls with CordBank and we will be making a donation to Foundation Réjouis to help this worthy cause. If you would like to make a donation, the details are:

Bank account name: Foundation Rejouis
Bank of New Zealand, Nelson Branch
Account number: 02-0704-0075051-00

For more information on the Haiti Earthquake family.

Post from: CordBank New Zealand

As at the end 2009, 124 children had received their own cord blood as treatment for Cerebral Palsy – including New Zealander Maia Friedlander whose cord blood had been saved with CordBank NZ.  These initial treatments were performed under a phase I clinical trial – where the goal is see if the treatment holds benefit – without a control group.

Dr Kurtzberg, , MD, Chief of Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation at Duke University. who treated all but 10 of those children is also to oversee a randomised trial of 120 children aged 6 months to 6 years.  The trial will last 2 years. Neither of the clinical trials supervised by Carroll or Kurtzberg plan to give nothing to the control patients. Both research groups intend to set up their trials in such a way that the control group gets their own stem cells too, but after a time delay.

Dr Kurtzberg detailed her work on CBS news earlier this week

Post from: CordBank New Zealand