Using a Child's Own Cord Blood Stem Cells
to Treat Brain Injury
A growing body of published data suggests that a child's own cord blood stem cells may play an important role in helping the body repair damaged tissue. For example, in the brain, animal studies have shown that newborn stem cells from cord blood demonstrate an ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and migrate to damaged tissue to initiate repairs and induce healing.
Even more exciting, two FDA-authorized human clinical trials evaluating the use of a child's own cord blood stem cells in the treatment of cerebral palsy are underway at Duke University and Georgia Health Sciences University as well as a trial investigating treatment of acute traumatic brain injury at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston.
Additional FDA-approved clinical trials studying the use of a child's own cord blood stem cells to treat other forms of brain injury, such as acquired hearing loss, have also begun recruitment.
Learn more about cord blood stem cells and brain injury
Cord Blood Stem Cells
Once routinely discarded during the birthing process, the blood from a newborn's umbilical cord has emerged as a valuable medical resource because it is a rich source of easily-acquired stem cells. These cells have been used for the past 20 years to treat nearly 80 chronic or life-threatening diseases. A growing body of research is evaluating the use of cord blood stem cells in a new area called regenerative medicine — or the science of using the body's own cells to induce healing and help repair damaged tissues and organs. Cord blood stem cells are being explored to determine their ability to treat conditions that affect millions of Americans, including type 1 diabetes, heart disease and neurological disorders.
Donate to the Newborn Possibilities Fund to help advance groundbreaking clinical research evaluating the use of cord blood stem cells as a potential treatment for children with conditions like cerebral palsy or hearing loss.
