by Maytal Yasur Beit-Or
"Studies have shown that cord blood ... can help treat brain injuries," says Omer Bar-Yosef, who is running a new trial at Sheba Medical Center • Although first Israeli patient shows signs of improvement, Bar-Yosef advises against jumping to conclusions.
A day after she was born, Noa had a stroke and
began convulsing. Now, two years later, a promising new treatment at
the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer outside Tel Aviv could help her
battle cerebral palsy.
Noa, whose real name is being withheld at the
request of her family, is the first patient to undergo this special
treatment at an Israeli hospital. It involves a cord-blood transfusion
from siblings or a suitable match, and it is performed only on children
and babies. It was approved specifically for use on Noa due to the
unique circumstances of her case, in what is often referred to as
"compassionate use."
"Studies have shown that cord blood, and the
stem cells it may contain, can help to treat brain injuries," said Omer
Bar-Yosef, a pediatric neurologist and at the Edmond and Lily Safra
Children's Hospital at the Sheba Medical Center. "It was tested on
animal models where the offspring was hurt at birth and consequently
suffered from CP, be it because of compromised blood flow to the brain
or for other reasons. In those cases, transfusions of umbilical cord
blood during the first hours or days after their birth had a positive
effect on the brain tissue and on performance. Now this method is being
tested on humans."
The trial is run jointly with Taburit, a company that preserves umbilical cord blood.
Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, a professor of
pediatrics at the Duke University School of Medicine, is considered the
world's leading expert in this field. She is also the director of the
Carolinas Cord Blood Bank, one of the largest cord blood banks in the
world.
In one of Kurtzberg's clinical trials, she
found that children who received cord blood transfusion improved their
motor skills by 30% compared to the control group. According to
Bar-Yosef, those born with CP currently have no available treatment,
only rehabilitative care such as physiotherapy and speech and language
therapy.
Bar-Yosef took note of the promising outcome and hopes to replicate it in Israel.
"The method appears to yield positive results,
and they should not be overlooked, but I am not going to tell parents
that we are going to solve everything," he said. "The treatment was
proved to be safe for children, but we need to tread carefully and set
the proper expectations. When a wheelchair-bound child begins walking
with crutches or walkers this is a major improvement. When a child with a
severe speech impediment begins to speak normally, we call that a major
step forward."
Noa's physicians have noted improved language
and communication skills, but they have no way of telling whether this
is a natural development or a consequence of the trial. The improvement
in Noa's condition was not lost on her mother, Tamar.
"She still has CP, so this is not a 180-degree
turnaround, but we have begun to see her cognitive skills develop, and
she uses many more words," Tamar said. "She used to have this perplexed
gaze, but now she tries to repeat everything I say, everything is much
more open and easy."
Maytal Yasur Beit-Or
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=33231
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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