News
Clinical Trial Looks to bring Cord Blood Treatment for Cerebral Palsy Closer to Home
A clinical trial currently awaiting approval will mean that children suffering from cerebral palsy like Zac and Maia won’t have to travel to the United States for treatment with their own cord blood. As reported in The Sydney Morning Herald, researchers at Melbourne’s Monash Medical Centre are currently awaiting approval to start a clinical trial…
First Australian Child Receives Cord Blood Treatment at Duke University
When 5 year old Australian child, Zac Archer suffered a stroke at 4 months of age, he was left with profound cerebral palsy and epilepsy. In a twist of fate, Zac’s mum Gabrielle had donated his cord blood to a public blood bank in Australia. Remarkably, it was still in storage when they discovered the…
Cord Blood Cells Show Promise for Alzheimer’s Patients
Researchers from the University of South Florida and their private sector collaborators say transplanting stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood may offer future therapeutic benefit for those suffering the degenerative and ultimately fatal Alzheimer’s disease, which affects around 43,000 New Zealanders. Those figures are projected to double in the next 15 years, and to…
Dr Wise Young speaks about Spinal Injury & Cord Blood
Eminent neuroscientist Dr Wise Young delivered hope to practitioners and patients alike during his visit to New Zealand recently to raise awareness regarding his clinical trials treating spinal cord injury. Young is the founding director of the W M Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience and a professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey….
New hope for the Hasselman family
Little Lily Hasselman has already been through a great deal in her first five years. She was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at just six weeks of age and as a result has to endure daily painful physiotherapy, take medication with every meal, and undergo constant medical checks. Cystic Fibrosis is a life-shortening genetic condition, with…
Wise words…
Dr Wise Young answered your questions on the future of umbilical cord stem cell therapy to cure spinal cord injury when he visited New Zealand as a guest of CordBank in February 2011. Q. ” In your opinion, how far do you think we are, realistically, from finding a cure for SCI?” A: I believe…
Rheumatoid relief in sight for arthritis sufferers
Professor Zhan-guo Li has worked with a team of researchers from Peking University People’s Hospital, China, to carry out a laboratory study in which cord blood stem cells were used to suppress inflammation and weaken the disease. Professor Li said, “Very little is known about umbilical cord MSCs, and there has been no previous report…
Cord blood changed my life
Four year old Maia Friedlander became a New Zealand medical pioneer when she became one of the first Kiwi children to have her cord blood re-infused for her brain injury. Maia was less than a year old when parents Jillian and Daniel realised she was developing differently to her twin sister Arielle. She’d been deprived…
More about Dr Wise Young’s research…
• Dr Young’s trials are being undertaken by the China Spinal Cord Injury Network (China SCINET) which he helped established in 2003. It is the largest spinal cord injury clinical trial network. • ChinaSCINet has completed three clinical trials to date. The first is an observational trial of 500 subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI)…
Cord Blood gets its own Awareness Month
July has been designated “Cord Blood Awareness Month” by the American Hospital Association’s Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD), with the goals of raising awareness about cord blood stem cells and helping empower expectant parents to make informed choices regarding their family’s future health. Here in New Zealand you can help raise awareness…