Cord Blood Stem Cells

Researchers report how paracrine signaling from umbilical cord stem and progenitor cells can promote the healing of diabetes-associated skin wounds

Researchers comparing hematopoietic stem cells from various sources establish an advantage of freshly-isolated cells over in vitro expanded cells

Trial results suggest that the intravenous infusion of UCB represents a non-invasive, safe, and feasible means to treat acute ischemic stroke

A new study demonstrates how a three-dimensional culture substrate can help to maintain the number of primitive stem cells present during the expansion of human cord blood samples

A new trial in children with cerebral palsy suggests that autologous cord blood infusions may have the potential to improve motor function

Expansion and differentiation of cord blood in a bottle turning culture system may represent an effective large-scale means to produce human erythrocytes

Using a minipig model, researchers demonstrate that stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood can aid the repair of cartilage defects

A new stem cell study may offer hope for patients suffering from one of the most common causes of childhood deafness.

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) occurs when there is damage to the cochlea or the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. The American Speech-Language Hearing Association says the causes of SNHL can range from genetics and head trauma to drugs, illnesses and more. While most SNHL in children is congenital or acquired after birth, it may present at any age, according to the Website patient.co.uk.

Until recently, SNHL was generally considered a permanent condition. But a new stem cell trial, which launched in January in the United States, could change that thinking.

Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas, and the privately owned stem cell bank Cord Blood Registry® (CBR), San Bruno, California, are collaborating on this first FDA-approved, Phase I safety study on the use of cord blood stem cells to treat children with SNHL. The yearlong trial is led by Samer Fakhri, MD, an internationally recognized rhinologist who is currently an associate professor and residency program director at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

The researchers are following 10 children, aged 6 weeks to 18 months old, who have sustained post-birth SNHL. Children who are deaf as a result of a genetic anomaly or syndrome are not eligible.

The patients are treated using stem cells from their own stored umbilical cord blood. "Currently, the only treatment options for sensorineural hearing loss are hearing aids or cochlear implants," Dr. Fakhri said. "We hope that this study will open avenues to additional treatment options for hearing loss in children."

"This study is exciting because it might offer a non-surgical option for some children with profound loss," said co-investigator and auditory-verbal therapist Linda Baumgartner. "More importantly, this is the first treatment with the potential to restore normal hearing."

The study is supported by CBR and The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on improving the lives of people who have sustained central nervous system damage through injury or disease.

Learn more:
http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53686-cord-blood-childrens-memorial-hermann-fda-approved-stem-cells-hearing-loss
http://www.cordblood.com/
http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Childhood-Deafness.htm
http://www.asha.org

Dr. Cinzia Rota wins Annual Young Investigator Award at International Stem Cell Symposium

Durham, NC & Seoul, Korea, November 2010 - The journal STEM CELLS has announced Dr. Cinzia Rota as the winner of the annual STEM CELLS Young Investigator Award. Co-sponsored by the International Stem Cell Symposium, the $10,000 prize is annually given to a young scientist who is the principal author of a research paper published in STEM CELLS and judged to be most important by the Journal editors.