Regenerative Medicine - The power of cord blood stem cells

"Regenerative medicine is a revolutionary approach that focuses on curing conditions as opposed to treating them. Regenerative medicine empowers doctors with the ability to replace damaged tissue in patients with healthy organic tissue that is accepted and functions like… the body's own…What truly differentiates regenerative medicine from many current therapies is that regenerative medicine has the potential to provide a cure (for) failing or impaired tissues." (U.S. Department of health and Human Services, 2005)

New treatments with cord blood focus on regenerative medicine, where doctors use stem cells to repair damaged tissues and organs in the body. This emerging field of medicine is directed at treatments for conditions such as brain injury and juvenile diabetes, which have no cure today.

Stem cell usage for regenerative medicine is increasing

In the past three years, CBR has released a large number of cord blood units for regenerative medicine applications to use for patients with conditions such as juvenile diabetes, traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy. In fact, over 70% of the units released by CBR since 2005 have been for regenerative medicine and that number is steadily increasing, giving evidence to the potential of stem cells for this purpose.

Learn more about stem cells and how they are being used in regenerative medicine therapies:

Watch: How Stem Cells Work

Watch: Cord Blood Stem Cells and Applications in Regenerative Therapies

Watch: How Chloe used Her Own Cord Blood

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Brain Injury

Along with leading medical centers, Duke University and the University of Texas, CBR has participated in groundbreaking clinical research to utilize cord blood stem cells to improve outcomes after brain injury. Circumstances of treatment include anoxic brain injury at birth, cerebral palsy, and traumatic brain injury.

Find out how stem cells are being used to improve outcomes after brain injury:

Watch: Can Cord Blood Help Newborns with Brain Damage

Watch: Why The Use of Stem Cells In Treating Brain Injury Is So Important

Watch: How Dallas, Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, Used His Own Cord Blood

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Juvenile Diabetes

Research conducted at the University of Florida indicated the potential for the use of cord blood stem cells to regenerate insulin production in juvenile diabetes patients. In 2006, CBR inquired with our client population about the incidence of juvenile diabetes and a number of cases were reported. These children are now pioneers in helping to develop effective therapies for juvenile diabetes using one's own stem cells. This option is only available to these children because their parents made the decision to preserve their cord blood. We continue to advance our collaboration with the University of Florida.

Read a news article about the University of Florida's exciting study on stem cells' use in juvenile diabetes.

Reference: Haller MJ, Viener HL, Brusko T, et al. Insulin Requirements, HbA1c, and Stimulated C-peptide following Autologous Umbilical Cord Blood Transfusion in Children with T1D. Abstract presented at: Annual Meeting of the American Diabetes Association, Scientific Sessions; June 22-26, 2007 Chicago, IL.

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Heart Disease & Conditions

In a 2005 meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, Dr. Harris presented results suggesting the potential for cord blood stem cells to improve outcomes in human patients following heart attack. His data showed that in an animal model of heart attack, intracoronary delivery of cord blood stem cells increased the vascular density in the heart compared to untreated animals.

Read a news article about how cord blood stem cells may help repair babies' heart defects

Reference: Harris DT, He X, Ahmad N, et al. The potential of cord blood stem cells for tissue engineering. Poster presented at: International Society for Stem Cell Research. June 2005; San Francisco, CA. Sunkomat, JNE, S Goldman, DT Harris and MA Gaballa. Cord blood-derived MNCs delivered intracoronary contribute differently to vascularization compared to CD34+ cells in the rat model of acute ischemia. Submitted, Stem Cells, 2006. Harris, DT, H He and M Gaballa. The potential of cord blood stem cells for use in regenerative medicine of the heart. 2nd International Stem Cells Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 22-24 Jan 2007.

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Cancer

CBR collaborated with Dr. Akita Shibata of Stanford University to utilize cord blood stem cell units and familial history profiles to isolate determinants of genetic predisposition for breast cancer, one of the leading causes of death in the female population. This research provides insight for clinicians to plan strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of this common health threat.

Reference: Shibata A, Harris DT, Billings PR. Concentrations of estrogens and IGFs in umbilical cord blood plasma: A comparison among Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian-American Females. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2002;87(2):810-815.

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Corneal Regeneration

Vision loss can occur when corneal epithelial cells are lost or are not replaced quickly enough. In data presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, Dr. David Harris demonstrated that cord blood stem cells can differentiate into these cells and form a cell sheet that is morphologically indistinguishable from corneal epithelial cells. When transplanted in animals, cord blood stem cells improved the appearance of the corneal surface. These results suggest that cord blood could provide a future therapeutic option for individuals with disorders of the ocular surface.

Reference: Harris DT, He X, Ahmad N, et al. The potential of cord blood stem cells for tissue engineering. Poster presented at: International Society for Stem Cell Research. June 2005; San Francisco, CA. Harris, D.T., X. He, M. Badowski and JC Nichols. Regenerative Medicine of the Eye: A Short Review. In Press, Regen. Med. May 2006 Harris DT, He X, Badowski M, Nicols JC. Regenerative Medicine of the Eye: A Short Review. Stem Cell Repair & Regeneration, Vol. 3, Levicar N, Habib NA, Dimarakis I, Gordon MY (Ed.s), Imperial College Press (2007), In press.

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