Two new trials using cord blood for cerebral palsy…

In February 2010 the Medical College of Georgia (USA) confirmed their principal investigator, James Carroll, MD, Chief of Pediatric Neurology at MCG had received FDA approval to determine whether an infusion of cord blood stem cells can improve the quality of life for children with cerebral palsy.

As at the end 2009, 124 children had received their own cord blood as treatment for Cerebral Palsy – including New Zealander Maia Friedlander whose cord blood had been saved with CordBank NZ.  These initial treatments were performed under a phase I clinical trial – where the goal is see if the treatment holds benefit – without a control group.

Dr Kurtzberg, , MD, Chief of Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation at Duke University. who treated all but 10 of those children is also to oversee a randomised trial of 120 children aged 6 months to 6 years.  The trial will last 2 years. Neither of the clinical trials supervised by Carroll or Kurtzberg plan to give nothing to the control patients. Both research groups intend to set up their trials in such a way that the control group gets their own stem cells too, but after a time delay.

Dr Kurtzberg detailed her work on CBS news earlier this week