Lifeline Cord Blood

To describe long-term outcomes of children with early-infantile Krabbe disease who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in the first 7 weeks of life.

This study provides Class IV evidence that for children with early-infantile Krabbe disease, early HSCT improves lifespan and functional abilities.

A routine ultrasound turned frightening for a local mom as she learned her baby would be born with a life-threatening condition. Lindsey Musgrave remembers the day when she learned her son Vincent would soon have a sister...

Signals Potential of Newborn Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine for Common Disorders

SAN BRUNO, Calif., Jan. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cord Blood Registry® (CBR®), the world's largest and most experienced newborn stem cell company, announces the start of a U.S. Food and Drug (FDA)-regulated study being conducted at Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando to investigate the use of a child's stem cells from their own stored umbilical cord blood as a treatment for acquired sensorineural hearing loss. 

The New York Times, By Bill Pennington

The latest curative leap to heal professional athletes and weekend warriors alike may sound like science fiction, but it could transform sports medicine. Some doctors and researchers say that in a few years the use of primitive stem cells from infants' umbilical cord blood could grow new knee ligaments or elbow tendons creating a therapy that becomes the vanguard of sports injury repair...

Journal of Clinical Investigation, Irwin D. Bernstein, Dept. Of Pediatric Oncology

Blood from human umbilical cords is a rich source of hematopoeitic stem cells, the progenitors that can reconstitute all of the different cell types in our blood, including oxygen-carrying red blood cells and white blood cells that are our major defense against infections. Cord blood contains a higher percentage of stem cells than adult bone marrow….

A lot of parents ask me if they should bank their child's umbilical cord blood in order to save the stem cells. While the practice of storing cord blood has been around for many years, there's still a lot of confusion over the benefits of doing it.

Medicine & Health / Research

According to an Italian research team publishing their findings in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (17:6), hearing loss due to cochlear damage may be repaired by transplantation of human umbilical cord hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) since they show that a small number migrated to the damaged cochlea and repaired sensory hair cells and neurons.

By Megan Quinn

Katie Kemp plays with her daughter Hallie, 2, in the backyard of their Arvada home Friday, May 29. Hallie was born with septo-optic dysplasia and optic nerve hypoplasia which has limited her optic nerve development to only 20 percent of its growth maturity. The condition has left Hallie blind but the family is trying to raise enough money to take her to Thailand for stem cell treatments intended to improve her vision. (click for larger version)

In a new clinical trial conducted at Memorial Hermann Hospital, researchers from UTHealth have shown it’s possible to reduce brain inflammation by harvesting stem cells from a trauma patient’s bone marrow and re-infusing them into the bloodstream within 48 hours of injury. The results are promising, said Dr. Charles Cox, who’s been working on the experimental treatment for more than 15 years.

Over the decades since, we have demonstrated efficient cell recovery at 5 years (5), 10 years (6), 15 years (7), and most recently 23.5 years (8) after the cells were frozen in cryopreserved form. The accuracy of these tests rests on the fact that we have had continuous custody of these cells, and we have performed their post-thaw analysis with the same tests as their pre-freeze measurements. 

Throughout history, healthcare has gradually transformed from a mystical art into a defined science. While there are still challenges to be faced, life-saving stem cell treatments are revolutionising the industry.

Our decision-makers must seize the opportunity, optimize our first-mover advantage and our national interests, and support Canada’s leadership. Stable, long-term funding for stem cell research and regenerative medicine should be our number-one proof point of Canada’s commitment to science.

By CATHY DYSON

The family of Summer Grace, who was born blind, believes their 18-month-old "saw the light" after controversial medical care in China. Halfway through her stem-cell treatments, Summer was taken into a dark bathroom where a doctor shone a flashlight, said Beth Allison, her grandmother. Summer followed the ray of light with her eyes, something she'd never done.

BBC News

Scientists in the UK say they have grown tiny sections of human liver. The sections of liver were created using stem cells from umbilical cords by a team at Newcastle University. It is hoped the "mini-livers" will be used to test drugs, avoiding incidents like the Northwick Park trial in which six patients became seriously ill...

By Dan J. Beilstein

Six months ago, former Port Orange resident Abby Wolfe said she would do anything for her 18-month-old son, Elioe "Tre" Burgos III. Elioe's vision was thought to be no better than 20/1200. He was blind, and diagnosed with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (ONH). Doctors informed Ms. Wolfe and Elioe Burgos Sr. that young Elioe suffered from an underdevelopment of his optic nerve...

Medipost said Wednesday that it has acquired a domestic patent on stem cell culture fluids that prevent hair loss. This technology exposes cord blood-derived stem cells to an artificially created hair regression environment to produce a culture solution capable of delivering pharmacological effects such as hair loss prevention.

By Lucy Williams, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Acute kidney failure is a potentially life-threatening condition. Previous therapies have been generally unsuccessful in treating the disease, but recent research reveals stem cell applications could protect and improve kidney function in patients.

Xinxin Huang ¹* , Bin Guo ²* , Maegan Capitano ³* , Hal E. Broxmeyer³

By Roberta Neiger

Israeli scientists are pushing the boundaries of an already cutting-edge field: stem cell research. They have grown heart cells from human embryonic stem cells and have established companies promising, among other things, to produce new blood vessels, regenerate cartilage and heal spinal cord injuries...

Tissue Eng. 2005 Sep-Oct;11(9-10):1407-20

There is an urgent clinical requirement for appropriate bone substitutes that can be used for the repair and regeneration of diseased or damaged skeletal tissues. Cell-sourcing limitations in particular have affected progress, largely because of the shortage of accessible tissues...