Exciting potential seen in cord-blood treatments

Rachel Fryar is certain her son's umbilical-cord blood helped to reverse his cerebral palsy, though the treatment hasn't been scientifically proven.

Fryar visited Cord Blood Registry in Tucson on Thursday, along with her 4-year-old son, Luke, to say "thank you" to its staff for storing her son's umbilical-cord blood.

If two randomized clinical trials now under way determine that infusions of umbilical-cord blood are regenerative for even a small percentage of patients with cerebral palsy, it could result in a major change in scientific thinking about the uses of cord blood.

In addition to treating cerebral palsy, there's another potential use of a child's own cord blood that's also being tried in a federally approved clinical trial - as a treatment for autism. The Sutter Neuroscience Institute in Sacramento is teaming with Cord Blood Registry to evaluate the ability of an infusion of cord-blood stem cells to help improve language and behavior. The study will enroll 30 children who have a diagnosis of autism.

The Fryars stored the cord blood of all three of their children at the south-side facility because of a family history of cancer. They had no idea they'd be needing Luke's cord blood when he was 15 months old, after he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Doctors believe he suffered a stroke in utero.

"It was almost like there was no mind-body connection that his arm was connected to his body," Fryar said. "I was devastated. I wondered if he would ride a bike, play soccer, go to a regular school."

Luke ran around the cord-blood bank Thursday with no signs of any physical impairment, though the stroke affected the right side of his body, particularly his arm, his mother said.

There is already quite a bit of anecdotal evidence in literature and from patients like Luke Fryar that an infusion of a child's own cord blood helps treat cerebral palsy, which has no cure and limited treatment options.

Much of it comes from parents like Rachel Fryar who share their stories with Cord Blood Registry, which stores cord blood from more than 425,000 newborns. The private, for-profit company says it is the world's largest cord-blood bank.

Stem cells harvested from the umbilical-cord blood are frozen and stored in giant stainless-steel flasks called dewars that keep the units of blood in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of minus 354 degrees Fahrenheit. Umbilical-cord blood arrives at the Tucson facility by medical courier 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Read this article:
Exciting potential seen in cord-blood treatments