Cerebral Palsy – VJRegenMed

Cord tissue-derived MSCs versus cord blood for cell therapy

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 18:50:02 +0000

Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, Duke University, Durham, NC, compares cord blood to cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) as a source for cell therapies in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), cerebral palsy and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Cord blood can only be delivered in one dose due to a limited amount of cells available, whereas the abundance of cord tissue-derived MSCs in the umbilical cord allow for ongoing, repeated dosing. In terms of mechanisms of action, cord blood-derived therapies function through monocytes, which have the capability to stimulate remyelination in the damaged brain, whereas MSCs appear to function through the modulation of inflammation. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).

Umbilical cord blood infusions in children with cerebral palsy

admin_vjr_user — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 07:56:43 +0000

Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, Duke University, Durham, NC, describes ongoing research evaluating the potential of umbilical cord blood infusion in pediatric patients with cerebral palsy. A randomized Phase II trial (NCT01147653) indicated that the infusion of autologous umbilical cord blood (UCB) at a dose of 25 million cells per kilogram or higher resulted in improvement in gross motor function. In addition, the open-label Phase II ACCeNT-CP trial (NCT03473301), which compared a single high dose of allogeneic UCB with repeated infusions of cord tissue mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), demonstrated that UCB infusion improved motor function and has prompted the initiation of a Phase III trial. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).