Stem Cell Hope for Cerebral Palsy Patients

I was inspired to write this post after receiving this message on Twitter regarding Cerebral Palsy:

“Any good links for stem cell and cerebral palsy in the US? Not confident in overseas companies. My little one is three and has CP.”

Cerebral palsy describes a group of permanent disorders of the development of movement and posture, causing activity limitation, that are attributed to nonprogressive disturbances that occurred in the developing fetal or infant brain. The motor disorders of cerebral palsy are often accompanied by disturbances of sensation, perception, cognition, communication, and behaviour, by epilepsy, and by secondary musculoskeletal problems.

In March 2008, a toddler diagnosed with cerebral palsy showed remarkable improvement after an infusion of his own stem cells — made possible by the preservation of his own cord blood shortly before birth.

“[Dallas’ doctors] said by the age of 7, there may be no signs of cerebral palsy at all,” Hextell told TODAY co-host Meredith Vieira while holding a curious Dallas on his lap. “So he’s on his way, as far as we’re concerned.”

Prof Colin McGuckin, the President of Novussanguis, an international research consortium on cord blood and adult stem cell research, urged parents refused the right to harvest their babies’ umbilical cord blood for storage as “biologic insurance” to sue the hospitals concerned should their offspring later develop diseases such as cerebral palsy, stroke, and type 1 diabetes, which he claimed can be treated with stem cell therapy. (Parents urged to sue hospitals over cord blood)

I do not blame a parent for not having confidence in overseas companies to deal with CP.

Parents of children with conditions such as cerebral palsy are spending tens of thousands of dollars on unproven and possibly dangerous stem cell treatment at medical clinics in China, India, Mexico and several developing countries. (Forlorn Aussies flock to take risky stem cell therapy)

Other parents launched a £50,000 fundraising bid to pay for stem cell treatment in China to treat their daughter with CP. (Parents launch bid for £50k care)

But is it possible to receive treatment for cerebral palsy in America at a more affordable price?

Since the U.S. has more stringent regulations on unproven medical treatments, a commercial solution is not yet available. In the end, this will be more beneficial to patients who will know they are receiving tested and proven care.

However, it may be possible to receive treatment within the United States by volunteering for clinical trials, a risky decision that may reap beneficial rewards.

In July 2008, The Levines heard about an experimental procedure at Duke University in North Carolina where children with cerebral palsy were infused with their own cord blood stem cells in an effort to heal and repair damaged brain tissue. They enrolled 9-month-old Chloe Levine, who suffered from CP, after realizing they had banked Chole’s cord blood when she was born. (Cord Blood Stem Cells Reverse Girl's Cerebral Palsy)

“Her therapist said she’s made a 50 percent recovery,” said her father, Ryan Levine. “She can walk, run, and do sign language with her right hand.”

So while it may not be the easiest thing to do to receive stem cell treatment for cerebral palsy in the U.S. right now, one thing is certain: 

You need to store your newborn’s cord blood for any hope of successful treatment to be possible!

The 2009 World Stem Cell Summit

The 2009 World Stem Cell Summit (Twitter: @wscs2009) will be taking place on September 21-22 in Baltimore, MD. 

The 2009 Summit, which is being organized in part by the Genetics Policy Institute, will bring together researchers, clinicians, business pathfinders, key policy-makers, regulators, advocates, and experts in law and ethics to give presentations, share information, and chart the future of regenerative medicine.

A complete agenda for the Summit can be found here, and an overview of the Summit's presentations and panel discussions can be found here.

July: Cord Blood Awareness Month

The American Hospital Association has designated July as Cord Blood Awareness Month.

According to research published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, 3 out of every 4 pregnant women consider themselves only "minimally informed" about how using a child's own cord blood can repair damaged tissue due to injury or cure diseases.

To see how cord blood can save lives, check out cord blood survivor Natalie Curry's (Twitter: @natalie_curry) blog at NatalieCurry.com.

Curry was born with a fatal blood disorder called Fanconis Anemia, and without a bone marrow transplant from a perfect HLA match, she would likely have died before the age of ten. Fortunately, her sister Emily was a perfect match and her cord blood was saved and frozen at birth for Natalie's future cord blood transplants. Thanks to the power of cord blood, Natalie Curry now lives in New York City where she is writing a book about her story to help raise awareness.

A nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, Save the Cord Foundation was established to create and provide educational awareness and to distribute unbiased, factual information concerning the life-saving benefits of cord blood, and the need to preserve this valuable natural resource.

Save the Cord Foundation (Twitter: @SaveTheCord) is working to make the collection of cord blood the standard of care in hospitals throughout the nation, and to make public cord blood banks a national priority.

To learn more about cord blood stem cells, check out these Cord Blood Fast Facts.

Despite economic downturn, stem cell companies are hiring

As of June 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate is now at 9.5%, with roughly 14.7 million people currently unemployed.

Job losses were widespread across the major industry sectors, with  large declines occurring in manufacturing, professional and business services, and construction.

With news like this, employers are probably spending more time trying to figure out who should be laid off instead of who should be hired.

Yet, one industry seems to be growing - biotechnology.

While America spent 8 years trying to figure out better ways to blow up sand in the Middle East, the rest of the globe was trying to cure Parkinson’s disease, patch damaged hearts, replace the pancreas, rewire the spinal cord, cure cancer and restore memories lost in the fog of Alzheimer’s disease.

Even Iran is rumored to be at the forefront of stem cell research. America, the country that discovered how to fly, land on the moon, and send e-mail, is about to let Iran be the first to discover the fountain of youth!

Fortunately, President Obama signed an executive order that allowed federal funding for stem cell research once again. Now more than $10 billion in stimulus money has been slated for it.

Companies that nearly faced extinction like Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACTC) are now actually hiring. To completely understand how drastic of a change this is for the sector, you must realize that just a year ago some stem cell companies had to turn the phones off just to keep the lights on.

So, if you are looking for an exciting new career in the world of stem cell research, then America needs you to help restore science to its rightful place. 

Stem Cell Sperm Now Possible

British scientists may have just put all men on Earth out of a job by developing a technique that turns embryonic stem cells into functional sperm.

The new technique “will allow researchers to study in detail how sperm forms and lead to a better understanding of infertility in men,” Professor Nayernia said in a statement released with the study. “This understanding could help us develop new ways to help couples suffering infertility so they can have a child which is genetically their own.”

The scientists said the lab-created sperm won't be used for “fertilization of human eggs and implantation of embryos."

“While we can understand that some people may have concerns, this does not mean that humans can be produced ‘in a dish’ and we have no intention of doing this,” they wrote.

Does anyone want to place bets on when they do?

All of this reminds me of the hit song "In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)" by Zager and Evans, which was written in 1967:

In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find

In the year 3535
Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies
Everything you think, do, or say
Is in the pill you took today

In the year 4545
Ain't gonna need your teeth, won't need your eyes
You won't find a thing to do
Nobody's gonna look at you

In the year 5555
Your arms are hanging limp at your sides
Your legs not nothing to do
Some machine is doing that for you

In the year 6565
Ain't gonna need no husband, won't need no wife
You'll pick your son, pick your daughter too
From the bottom of a long glass tube

In the year 7510
If God's a-comin' he ought to make it by then
Maybe he'll look around himself and say
Guess it's time for the Judgement day

In the year 8510
God's gonna shake his mighty head
He'll either say I'm pleased where man has been
Or tear it down and start again

In the year 9595
I'm kinda wondering if man's gonna be alive
He's taken everything this old earth can give
And he ain't put back nothing

Now it's been 10,000 years
Man has cried a billion tears
For what he never knew
Now man's reign is through
But through the eternal night
The twinkling of starlight
So very far away
Maybe it's only yesterday

Are you Stem Cell Savvy?

Think you know the basics of stem cell research? Try taking this timed quiz and see where you rank against others.

Take a stab at these simple, basic questions to find out if you are a Stem Cell Scholar or simply Stem Cell Stumped! Then leave a comment and let us know where you stand in the world of stem cell knowledge.

If you need a refresher course on stem cells or don’t know much about them, try reading Stem Cells 101 first.

I scored 931/1000 and was dubbed a “Stem Cell Scholar.”