We all get a chance to share Frances Everall’s joy this week as she celebrates 4 years free from the deadly cancer that nearly claimed her life.
In an exclusive interview with Woman’s Day 7 November 2011 (on sale from today), Frances and her family enjoy a party they never thought they’d see.
Thanks to her cord blood she conquered the cancer and lived to tell her tale. We’re thrilled to bring you a few photos from her fun-filled day.
“I’m so happy I didn’t die”
With those heart-stopping words Frances Everall sums up how she feels about surviving a deadly cancer 4 years ago this week.
At the time, doctors at Starship hospital told her parents to take her home to die – as the outlook was hopeless. If the cancer didn’t kill her the doctors said, the treatment possibly would.
But thanks to her family’s decision to bank her cord blood at birth, doctors were able to use these precious stem cells to rebuild her immune system after it was destroyed through the cancer treatment.
Frances had developed a Stage 4 neuroblastoma – a solid tumor cancer that affects around 5 New Zealand children every year.
A child’s own cord blood stem cells are the ideal cells to rebuild their immune system after cancer treatment – but these have to stored at birth so they are on hand when needed.
Thankfully Frances’ parents banked her cord bood at birth – giving us all the chance to share their joy at her special “Hollywood” themed party held in Auckland this month.
Complete with a red carpet and a Bruno Mars impersonator the birthday celebration will be another milestone to remember for us all.
More Photos from Hollywood…
Next month will see Aucklander, Frances Everall celebrating the fourth anniversary since her successful reinfusion with her cord blood stem cells, a very special milestone her family never thought she’d see.
In 2007, aged just four, Frances Everall was diagnosed with a Stage 4 Neuroblastoma (a cancer of the nervous system) and one of the options given by doctors at Starship was to take her home to die. If the cancer didn’t kill her the doctors said, the treatment possibly would.
Family member Kristina Anderson said there was no history of cancer and they were devastated when doctors at Starship said Frances wasn’t expected to survive the Stage 4 cancer they diagnosed.
But thanks to their decision to bank Frances’ cord blood at her birth, they were able to use these precious stem cells to rebuild her immune system after it was destroyed through the cancer treatment.
Today Frances is healthy little girl enjoying school and time with her family and friends.
“You never know what’s going to happen in your child’s future – having the cord blood stored saved her life.”
The family thinks of it as similar to taking out a fire insurance policy, “You don’t want your house to burn down but if it did you’d be pleased you had planned for it,” said Kristina.
A study at Shandong University in China is currently recruiting participants to investigate the efficacy of cord blood stem cells to treat Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common form of diabetes. In New Zealand about 270,000 people have Type 2 diabetes and about one third of cases of Type 2 diabetes are undiagnosed. The numbers of people developing Type 2 diabetes is rapidly increasing.
Type 2 diabetes most often occurs in adulthood between the ages of 30 to 40. However, increasing numbers of teenagers and children are developing Type 2 diabetes. New estimates indicate 500 young people aged between 10 and 18 years have the disease that was, only a few years ago, virtually unknown in this age group.*
The study started in July this year and will be completed in July 2014. To read more on the study click here
Back in 2009, we reported on research from Italy published in the journal Cell Transplantation that investigated whether hearing loss due to cochlear damage could be repaired by transplanting cord blood stem cells. At the time the research team carried out their testing on animal models. Moving forward to 2011, the research is now ready to be tested on humans.
The University of Texas Health Science Centre in Houston is now recruiting human participants for a trial to investigate the use of autologous cord blood stem cell treatment in children with acquired hearing loss.
Acquired sensorineural hearing loss is characterised by a loss of functioning hair cells in the Organ of Corti, with greater hair cell loss correlating with more severe hearing impairment. Children with sensorineural hearing loss experience difficulty developing normal language which usually leads to poor academic and social development. Currently, there are no reparative therapeutic options available, and treatments are designed to augment the diminished function of the injured Organ of Corti.
Pre-clinical data suggests progenitor cell infusions may enhance intrinsic repair mechanisms in the Organ of Corti which may restore hair cells. This treatment could ultimately lead to hearing improvement. Human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) is an available, autologous, stored progenitor cell population available for potential therapeutic use.
The primary objective of this study is to determine the safety of autologous hUCB infusion in children with acquired hearing loss. The secondary objective is to determine if functional, physiologic and anatomic outcomes are improved following hUCB treatment in this patient population.
The National Marrow Donor Program in the United States projects that 10,000 cord blood stem cell transplants will be performed annually by 2015, up from 2,000 in 2006… an increase of a staggering 500% according to Dr Robert Dracker, Executive Medical Director, Americord Registry.
The leading haematologist, transfusion medicine specialist and recognised leader in cord blood banking Dr Dracker said, “Stem cells are being used in life-saving therapies such as leukemia, lymphoma and other blood disorders. The number of diseases that can be treated by stem cells continues to grow as researchers discover new treatments, many of which are in clinical trials or considered experimental. As the list of diseases grows, more parents are electing to store the cord blood of their newborns in anticipation that their child, the child’s siblings or other relatives may one day benefit from it.”
“There has been a dramatic increase in the use of autologous (your own) cord blood for therapy. This rapid rise can be partially attributed to an increase in the number of patients with some form of brain injury – the most common being Cerebral Palsy (CP) and Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE). According to the International Society for Cellular Therapy, the statistics show that the cumulative probability of a child receiving an allogeneic (someone else’s) stem cell transplant by age 10 is low, only 1 in 5000. Autologous therapy treatments are actually more likely.”
“The benefits of private banking of cord blood and newborn stem cells for future medical treatments are impressive. Private banking provides a better chance of patient matching, with a 100% match for the ‘banked’ child and a 25-50% probability of a match with the patient’s siblings, depending upon disease and acceptable match criteria determined by a doctor. In addition, there is a lower chance of graft-versus-host disease — a potentially life-threatening condition.
“New techniques for cord blood harvesting have emerged, designed to provide more treatment options to a greater variety of patients. In June this year, Johns Hopkins graduate students announced the invention of a system that significantly boosts the number of stem cells collected from a newborn’s umbilical cord and placenta, which could allow more patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other blood disorders to be treated with these cells. Without adequate collection methods, 90% of these cells are discarded.
“As the rapid rise of autologous therapy continues, especially for CP and acute traumatic brain injury, the necessity for private banking will increase. The medical science and technology have kept pace with this trend and will continue to do so. Physicians remain enthusiastic about the potential use of placenta stem cells in the emerging fields of gene therapy and cellular repair.”
Dr. Robert Dracker, Executive Medical Director, Americord Registry, is a leading hematologist, transfusion medicine specialist and recognized leader in cord blood and stem cell banking. Dr. Dracker was recently named as a consultant to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Pediatric Advisory Committee.
For the full story read here
A significant clinical trial due to start later this year across Europe, will aim to slow, stop or even reverse the damage Multiple Sclerosis (MS) causes to the brain and spinal cord.
Researchers will collect stem cells from the bone marrow of patients, grow them in the laboratory and then re-inject them into their blood. The stem cells will make their way to the brain where it is hoped that they will repair the damage caused by MS.
Widely regarded as an autoimmune disease, MS reduces a person’s central nervous system’s ability to function correctly resulting in an assortment of symptoms including difficulty moving, damaged vision and a loss of mobility. It affects around 4000 people in New Zealand.
Each nerve in the body is covered with a protective covering called myelin which becomes damaged as the disease progresses. As the nerves become exposed the symptoms worsen as the messages sent from the brain to the body become increasingly disrupted.
Initial testing in the laboratory suggests that bone marrow stem cells not only repair the myelin, but can repair some of the damage done and protect it against further attack from the immune system.
The trial is being partially funded by the UK’s MS Society as a way to create a standard, proven therapy as many patients over the years have been lured overseas at massive expense to partake in treatments that have no foundation in science.
Dr Doug Brown of the MS Society said, “These experiments have confirmed that these stem cells hold that potential, but these need to be confirmed in large scale clinical trials.”
A treatment for patients is some way off yet. The phase two clinical trial which will involve 150 patients will commence during 2011 and will take five years to complete and assess. Even then a phase three trial may be required.
Sir Richard Sykes, chair of the UK Stem Cell Foundation, said the research was the first of its kind to take place in the UK.
“Given the high incidence of MS in the UK in comparison to other countries, I am delighted that we have at last progressed stem cell research to this stage, which will bring much-needed hope to so many people affected by this devastating condition.”
For the full story read here
A little girl suffering from sickle cell anaemia is now well and back at school following an umbilical cord blood stem cell transfusion from her brother.
Since birth, American girl Carol Mulumba, now 10, had been shuttled to and from emergency rooms and specialists, fighting Sickle cell anaemia – an inherited abnormality of the blood that can lead to blindness and organ failure.
Hunting for a transplant match for their daughter, the Mulumbas scoured public cord blood banks around the country, but without luck.
When Lukiah Mulumba became pregnant, the Cord Blood Registry offered to store her baby’s cord blood for free as part of a programme it offers to some 3,500 close relatives of patients with diseases treatable by cord blood.
As Carol grew older her pain worsened, but pain relief including morphine stopped working. Her growth was stunted, her eyes became yellow and jaundiced, and ultrasounds of her brain showed a stroke was imminent. As Carol’s brother was a match, doctors gave Carol a transfusion of his umbilical cord blood stem cells. In addition, the doctors used chemotherapy to force Carol’s bones to stop producing cells so the new blood could catch on. After a month, Carol’s results showed 100% healthy blood cells.
She spent another 6 months in bed, time in which her eyes cleared and her pain went away, said her father. Although she had to wear a surgical mask at first, she was allowed to go back to school in 2010.
“It took time,” said Carol, who said the hardest part of the process was being quarantined from most visitors. “I’m not short anymore,” she added.
For the full story read here
A study is being conducted by China’s Qingdao University to investigate the efficacy of cord blood to treat liver cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis of the liver is now the third highest cause of death in the Western world. The devastating disease is caused by factors including alcohol abuse and hepatitis resulting in scarring and poor liver function. Patients often require a liver transplant, but these are expensive and rarely available – only 35 are conducted in New Zealand every year.
For the study, cord blood was infused into 50 patients through the hepatic artery – the major artery that supplies blood to the liver. Patients’ liver function will be tested at four weekly intervals to test for improvement against the control group which will receive the more traditional antiviral drugs, lowering aminotransferase (liver enzyme) and jaundice medicine.
The study will conclude at the end of 2012.
For the full story read here
A new stem cell treatment costing around AU$2,500 is now available for pets. The treatment involves new cells being placed into damaged tissue to treat disease or injury.
Injured and arthritic dogs are undergoing stem cell treatment for the first time at two separate vet clinics in Mundaring and Champion Lakes in Western Australia.
The procedure involves harvesting stem cells from the animal’s fatty tissue and activating them utilising LED light technology, to heal degenerative joint conditions.
The stem cell therapy, which takes place in a day, means that pets suffering common ailments including hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis no longer need suffer chronic pain.
Their mobility is improved and so is their quality of life. The treatment is drug-free, so there are apparently no side-effects.
Veterinarian Colin Sherry, from the Champion Lake Vet Centre, said the procedure had been conducted successfully on hundreds of animals across the world and that he would be offering the procedure to clients within weeks.
The treatment developed by Australian company Medivet, has already been taken to Canada, Europe and the United States and recently launched in the UK.
For the full story read here