If you looked at Gracie Gregory today, you would just see a bright and bubbly 7-year-old girl. With her brilliant blue eyes and cute smile, she wins over the hearts of everyone she meets.
It was a very different situation just a few months ago, when Gracie would often have tantrums and loud screaming fits. Gracie was suffering from autism, a serious developmental disorder. The symptoms of autism include difficulty communicating, obsessive interests, repetitive behaviours, and difficulty with social situations.
Gracie was diagnosed with the condition when she was just 2-years-old. It had a dramatic effect on the family’s life, with Gracie’s violent outbursts impacting her big sister, Ryleigh, most of all. Her young sister would often yell at her and kick her.
A few years later, Gracie was given a place in a groundbreaking research project at Duke University. The project was designed to test the effectiveness of umbilical cord blood stem cells for treating autism.
In the double-blind study, some participants would receive a transfusion of their own cord blood stem cells, while others received a placebo. A few weeks after the treatment, the Gregory’s noticed some major changes in Gracie’s behaviour. She became much calmer, more communicative and no longer threw tantrums.
Before the treatment, Gracie’s parents said that the condition took up most of her daily routine. After the treatment, she was more like a normal little girl land could be left to her own devices. The Gregory’s say that the improvement has been dramatic and has completely changed their lives — a result that has excited researchers.
The results of the study were published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine. Large scale trials will be required before the treatment can be released to the general public, but the results are very promising so far.
Source: Stem cells offer hope for autism
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