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Umbilical cord blood -
not just a bag of stem cells
Cord blood therapies have shown highly promising results to treat diseases for which there are
currently no available therapies. Results using autologous (own) cells in babies and children with HIE,
cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder are safe and results are promising. The safety of partially
or fully matched sibling cord blood infusions has also been demonstrated preliminarily.
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featured advanced cell therapy trial: expanded access cord blood therapy for autism
and cerebral palsy
The Duke University Medical Center has received permission from the FDA to offer cord blood therapy for conditions
like autism spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy under an expanded access clinical trial. This protocol establishes
an umbrella clinical trial, registered on 31 October 2017. This trial enables children who have these neurological
disorders to receive therapy with their own cord blood or cord blood from a sibling, regardless of whether they
qualify for a targeted clinical trial.
The registration of this clinical trial opens the door for many children who are afflicted with an acquired neurological
disorder to travel to Duke University for cord blood therapy, provided they have a sufficiently matching cord blood
unit in a family bank. Sibling therapy only requires a partial match, not a perfect match.
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reference:
1. WCBD17 Treating children with cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder with cord blood. Joanne Kurtzberg, MD
2. Cell Trials Data is a project of Parent's Guide to Cord Blood® Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is headquartered in the United States at 23110 Georgia
Ave., Brookeville MD 20833. For more information visit https://parentsguidecordblood.org
