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
Medical professionals are now using stem cells to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is an autoimmune disease which causes the body’s immune system to attack different parts of the patient’s central nervous system such as the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve.
Currently there is no cure for MS but stem cell therapy is being used to help improve patient symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. Stem cell therapy is an experimental treatment that people can access through clinical trials.
You can find out more about these treatments here
A PhD student at Monash University in Melbourne has been awarded the 2021 European Society for Paediatric Research Young Investigator Start Up Grant of 10,000 Euro for research on cord blood stem cell treatment for newborns with brain injury.
Dr Lindsay Zhou is investigating the use of the stem cells as a treatment for preterm brain injury. This includes a world-first clinical trial of autologous cord blood-derived stem cells in extremely preterm infants.
The long-term goals of Dr Zhou’s work are to develop a potential cell therapy for the injured neonatal brain, and to reduce neuro-disability in survivors of extreme prematurity.
Read more about the project here
Jazmyne van Gosliga
I wanna chat about cord blood banking… It’s been super interesting the discourse around this topic in the last couple of days. I guess it’s like a lot of things with becoming a new parent or having another baby, you have to make the decision that is best for you and your family.
It’s interesting to negatively target ‘influencers’ because of an opinion or product that they have shared. I guess the beauty of Social Media is that it’s a jungle of opinions, but also a fantastic way for businesses to promote their products.
I am a Marketing Manager for a large hairdressing salon, and what works best for us to gain and retain our clientele is mainly through our social platforms. I also own a small skincare and accessories business, the same goes for that. I’m an Actress, and it has just become a part of the ‘job’. I am also an MUA and Hairdresser, and exactly the same there.
Most of my purchases in the last year are from other people sharing their experiences with them. Furniture, workout programs, cafes/restaurants/home delivery services, clothes, makeup, skincare, prams/cots/car seats/clothes/nappies, you name it. And as you would before investing in for example an expensive new skincare regimen, do your own research! 😊
If CordBank works for you, then go for it! Just like, if you would prefer to have an Obstetrician? Or a Midwife? Or a hospital birth? Epidural? Waterbirth? Homebirth? Breastfeed? Formula? Safely co-sleep? Use cry-it-out? Dummy? No dummy?
…Let’s stop feeling guilty for making decisions that may not be the same as someone else’s!
I love being about to chat about MY experience with CordBank. My brother was the first homebirth CordBank NZ baby in 2002, then I used the service for my daughter in 2019, and will use it again for my second daughter.
It’s a privilege to be able to spread the word and use this platform to help make parents aware that cord blood banking is AN option in NZ with CordBank.
Jazmyne van Gosliga
This week we received our CordBank kit – After sharing it on my story and receiving a few messages about it, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to share our experiences with CordBank.
Since being pregnant with Saachi, I soon realized that the option of CordBank isn’t something that all expectant parents know about!
For those who don’t know what it is, CordBank NZ is a company where you have the option to save your baby’s stem cells from their umbilical cord blood, and have them processed and stored until your child may need those precious stem cells. Cord blood stem cells are the most powerful stem cells. They’re the youngest, least damaged by the aging process and an exact match for your bubba. For our family, we have had personal experiences with people who have struggled to find stem cell donors, so it was a no brainer to have that option available for our girls – Whether they never use it, or at some point in their lives they may do (hopefully not!).
My parents also did this for my brother Aston in 2002, and he was the first home birth to have his cord blood stored in NZ through CordBank NZ. 17 years later we did this for Saachi, who was also a home birth and we will also do this for our next daughter, if everything goes to plan.
I believe the education towards the option of CordBank for your child is ever evolving. Often we have been given misinformation due to a lack in relevant education to the benefits of it and the impact it could have to your child later in life.