Stem Cells Attributed with Reversing Signs of CP in Toddler
At the age of 18 months, Dallas Hextell had very limited motor skills. He could not crawl, clap, or sit up, and he communicated only through screaming brought on mostly by pain and frustration. But after being part of a clinical trial at Duke University, where doctors used cord blood to treat a small number of children who had cerebral palsy or brain damage, the boy is showing marked improvement.
The treatment included an infusion of his own stem cells — made possible by the preservation of his own cord blood shortly before birth — back into his bloodstream. The procedure took less than an hour.
According to his mother, Dallas changed “almost in every way you can imagine,” after the intravenous infusion of his cord blood cells. Just five days after receiving the stem cells, she said, the boy was laughing, clapping, reacting, and saying “mama.” Doctors said by the age of 7, there may be no signs of cerebral palsy at all.
It is necessary to note that Dallas’ experience was not part of a controlled case study or randomized clinical trial. His progress is anecdotal, but should be considered as part of the continuing research into the use of stem cells.
Water-cooled cap appears to minimize CP risk for newborns
A special water-cooled cap for babies at risk of severe disabilities or death from birth trauma has been developed by a team of researchers in London, New Zealand, and Seattle. Babies deprived of oxygen during birth were less likely to develop cerebral palsy or other serious problems when fitted with the caps. The caps, which cool the cranium, cut cerebral palsy rates in half in babies at risk. The results, after 234 trials, are being called “highly encouraging.” The cap, however, did not affect outcomes for the most seriously injured newborns.
The cap was developed after researchers at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) made the discovery that damage to the brain is the result of a series of chemical reactions occurring in the brain rather than simply a lack of oxygen as was formerly believed. This means there is a window of several hours before brain damage becomes permanent. Reducing brain temperature could slow this chemical reaction and give the body’s internal repair mechanisms a chance to minimize permanent damage.
Further trials are underway and there is still work to be done to determine the right temperature, and the right length of treatment before cooling is offered as a standard treatment.