A question about Stem cell therapy

[kratos12]

Our son who is 6, suffered an inutero stroke and as a result suffers from right sided hemiplegia. He walks with a limp and his right hand is essentially non functioning.

I have recently read some stories on stem cells obtained from cord blood being used to great effect in a Duke University pilot study, unfortunately we did not bank his cord blood.

There is a clinic in Germany that performs the same basic procedure but they obtain stem cells from bone marrow.

Does anybody have any knowledge of any US programs or hospitals that utiize either embryonic stem cells or stem cells obtained from bone marrow or other tissue who are treating CP?

[Warpy]

1. Probably not

Thanks to the last administration, we're a decade or more behind the rest of the world in developing treatments using stem cells. In addition, the one program where this is being studied, as you know, is only using autologous stem cells from the child's cord blood.

Offhand, I'd say if you want to pursue this, to contact the clinic in Germany and find out what their criteria are. Such a program might one day be started in the US, but not yet.

[turntxblue]

2. Not really an answer, but...

my husband had stem cell therapy for multiple sclerosis in Costa Rica between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The stem cells used were from cord blood, and were obviously not his. Those were administered intrathecally (sp?) into his spine. They also used his own stem cells that were harvested from his adipose tissue through liposuction. Those were infused into his arm by IV. If there are hospitals in the US using the therapy that you asked about, I would GUESS that it would be as a study program--- but, I am definitely guessing. I mostly replied to let you know that some stem cell therapies use cord blood stem cells from donor umbilical cords. The doctor told me that 1 donated cord would treat 9+ people with the same therapy my husband received. By the way, he is much, much better than before treatment! This treatment is still experimental, and still illegal in the US. I suspect that it will eventually make it here, but by then it would have likely been too late to help my husband. Hope this info helps.