Ariella Rosenbaum, Author at CordBank New Zealand

A groundbreaking study has explored the potential of using autologous cord blood stem cells for treating refractory Crohn’s Disease – a condition where standard treatments fail to manage symptoms. The trial evaluated the long-term effects of using a patient’s own stored cord blood stem cells. The results were highly promising, with a significant percentage of patients showing improvement and a notable reduction in symptoms and many patients achieving remission.

Read the full study here.

Umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cell transplantation as a novel method for repairing knee joint cartilage has shown promising results in clinical settings, providing an effective treatment option for patients with these issues. A new review of the clinical research into the use of umbilical cord blood stem cells for knee articular cartilage repair has shown broad potential in regenerative medicine.

The long-term effects of using a patient’s own stored cord blood stem cells were evaluated – and showed highly promising results. A significant percentage of patients showed improvement and a notable reduction in symptoms and many patients achieved remission.

While further exploration and clinical trials are needed to strengthen the ongoing research, researchers look forward to more innovative breakthroughs – bringing better treatment outcomes and quality of life to patients.

Read more here.

A New FDA-approved clinical trial at Cornell University Hospital for Animals is exploring how stem cells can treat various musculoskeletal and neurological conditions in both dogs and horses. The trial focuses on using stem cells to help heal tissue, reduce inflammation, and manage pain in conditions like osteoarthritis, tendinopathy, and hip and elbow dysplasia.

The treatment’s potential extends beyond pets to equine patients. A horse named Leo, who was previously showing lameness at walking pace, has returned to soundness after receiving stem cell therapy for a soft tissue injury.

“The ultimate goal is to help animals recover from injuries more completely, and to reduce discomfort,” explains Dr. Aimee Colbath, who leads the equine component of the trial.

The findings from this research are particularly valuable as dogs and humans share many of the same musculoskeletal diseases and environmental factors, paving the way for exciting developments in both veterinary and human medicine.

When Xiao An was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia at age 18, his parents were grateful for a decision they’d made at his birth – storing his cord blood stem cells.

The teenager had suddenly developed symptoms including ulcers and blood spots. Tests revealed he had aplastic anemia, a serious autoimmune condition where the body attacks its own bone marrow, potentially leading to complete bone marrow failure.

Hope came in the form of his own cord blood stem cells, stored at Tianjin Cord Blood Bank since birth. After testing confirmed the stem cells were in perfect condition even after nearly two decades in storage, Xiao An underwent a transplant at Beijing Lu Daopei Hospital.

The treatment proved successful. Within a month, Xiao An was released from intensive care, and shortly after, he returned to normal life. His case represents the longest storage period for successfully used autologous cord blood in China.

“I didn’t expect that the umbilical cord blood saved for the child would actually save the child’s life all these years later!” said Xiao An’s father. The family’s decision to store their son’s cord blood – made when cord blood banking was still in its infancy in China – ultimately proved lifesaving. Today, Xiao An is back enjoying a normal, healthy life with his family.

Note: Treatment protocols for Aplastic Anemia typically prioritize finding an unrelated donor match. However, in cases where no suitable donor is found and the condition is “acquired” rather than genetic, doctors use the patient’s own stored cord blood stem cells to restore their immune system.

New research from King’s College London in collaboration with UCL and University of Leeds suggests that food fussiness is largely genetic. For parents struggling with picky eaters, this research offers some relief, confirming that genes play a bigger role than previously thought.

Lead author of the study, Zeynep Nas said he hoped the findings may help to alleviate parental blame. “Picky eating behaviour is not a result of parenting.”

The study analysed over 2,000 identical and non-identical twins’ eating habits from toddlerhood to early adolescence. Researchers found that genetic characteristics account for up to 74% of the variation in food fussiness between the ages of three and 13.

At 16 months, approximately 60% of the variation in food fussiness was due to genetic differences. However, researchers still advise giving children plenty of opportunities to try new foods, as early exposure can help even the pickiest eaters develop tolerance over time.

2022 is a special year for us at CordBank: our 20th anniversary. Our co-founder, Jenni Raynish, reflects on the road she travelled to establish and grow the only service licensed to process and store cord blood right here in New Zealand.

“I first learned about the regenerative powers of cord blood stem cells when I was pregnant with my second child, not long after my father died from a long battle with Alzheimers. Determined to do everything I could to prevent my future child from suffering like my father, I decided I would bank her cord blood should she ever need her stem cells to help treat a serious illness or injury. I was surprised there was no service in New Zealand as it was widely available in other countries, so I registered with a reputable overseas provider. Excitement turned to despair when our collection kit arrived and we realised there was no way our baby’s cord blood would be able to make it to the lab overseas in time to be viable for storage.

Superior stem cells

What makes cord blood stem cells superior to bone marrow stem cells is that they’re potent, flexible, a 100% DNA match to the baby they’re collected from, and undamaged by the ageing process with all the pollutants and chemicals our bodies are exposed to over time. In comparison, bone marrow stem cell transplants rely on finding a donor who is a perfect match (which can be difficult, time consuming and involves a painful extraction process), the cells are much older, and there’s a risk of rejection when transplanted. I couldn’t let go of wanting parents to be able to store cord blood here in New Zealand, close at hand and ready to use should their child need it.

I shared the frustration with my obstetrician – who agreed the option of collecting and storing cord blood should absolutely exist here in New Zealand. Combining her medical expertise with my commercial experience, we embarked on a lengthy process involving mountains of official paperwork to make our vision a reality. Perseverance paid off, and we were granted a license from the NZ Ministry of Health to manufacture medicine, recognising that the cord blood stem cells saved are stored for medical use in future. CordBank NZ was born!

Here we are, in 2022

Two decades on, our CordBank family has grown. We’re proud to be the caretakers of cord blood from babies born throughout the country, and when I hear success stories from the families who have used their child’s precious stem cells, it reminds me that all the hard work is well worth it. Of course, the best outcome is not needing to use cord blood at all, but parents have told me that knowing it’s there is peace of mind and a way to help future proof their child’s health.

The exciting part now is seeing the emerging studies that cord blood stem cells are being used in, and looking towards a future where they’ll be able to help people even more. While I’m still disappointed I wasn’t able to bank cord blood for my children, setting up a service for other New Zealand families is their legacy and mine”.

Czech woman Lucie Pinova’s father was only 60 when he suffered a serious stroke in 2018. His life was saved but he was left with paralysis of the right side of his body and lost his ability to speak.

After rehab, his condition improved but he had continuing major cognitive impairment.

Lucie found out about the use of stem cells, in particular umbilical cord blood stem cells, for the treatment of ischemic stroke patients.

Her dad underwent successful treatment with cells from an unknown donor. But Lucie took it further.

She became pregnant with a baby girl born in 2019 and decided to store the newborn’s cord blood, some of which has been used for a second treatment of the wee girl’s grandfather who has had further improvement.

Read more about the special bonds within this family here

With a growing body of evidence that dogs can assist children, especially with issues like anxiety, scientists at Oregon State University have found that dogs do synchronise their behaviour with children in their familes, but not as much as they do with adults.

The findings in the paper published in the journal Animal Cognition are important because very little research has focused on how dogs perceive and socially engage with children.

“The great news is that this study suggests dogs are paying a lot of attention to the kids they live with,” said Oregon State animal behaviorist Monique Udell, the lead author of the study.

“One interesting thing we have observed,”she says, “is that dogs are matching their child’s behaviour less frequently than what we have seen between dogs and adult caretakers, which suggests that while they may view children as social companions, there are also some differences that we need to understand better.”

You can read more about this study here