Researchers from Duke University have been at the forefront of stem cell research for many years. They are now increasing their commitment to stem cell research and exploring the use of cord blood as a regenerative therapy.
Researchers suspect that cord blood may be able to treat a range of conditions including heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, breast cancer, paralytic conditions, congenital heart defects, and autism.
Duke University has been heavily invested in stem cell research for many years. The university’s Paediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program began in 1993 and performed the world’s first umbilical cord blood transplant between unrelated subjects — which helped to pave the way for modern stem cell therapies. The university remains the leading location for transplants between unrelated subjects.
Researchers at the university are focussing on the use of cord blood as a regenerative therapy for a range of illnesses including metabolic conditions, autism, haematological cancers, and cerebral palsy. Researchers have already conducted many clinical trials into the safety and efficacy of cord blood stem cell therapies.
One of the senior researchers from Duke University, Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, suggests that their research into autism is particularly promising, saying: “We are encouraged by our results with children in autism, although we’ve just completed a safety trial and are about to open a randomised phase II trial,” she continued, “We’ve just completed a randomised phase II trial to test whether there is a benefit of cord blood in children with cerebral palsy. We will be publishing that data soon, but it looks encouraging.”
Dr. Kurtzberg’s team has already shown that umbilical cord blood can safely be infused. Her research team is also exploring the possibility that other components of cord blood may be beneficial for treating autism.
A new phase II clinical trial into the use of stem cells to treat autism began last month. Researchers are excited about the use of cord blood as a regenerative therapy and expect some exciting discoveries to occur in the coming years.
Source: Duke researchers explore potential of umbilical cord blood as a regenerative therapy
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