In recent years, there has been significant progress in studying the effects of cord blood among researchers around the world. In various parts of the world, studies are underway to examine the effect of cord blood transplantation in treating medical indications such as epilepsy, autism, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, orthopedic illnesses, and more…
The results of the studies encourage medical teams worldwide to try an ever-increasing batch of treatments based on a field known as regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine aims to produce functional tissues to repair or replace tissues or organs with poor or missing function due to damage or birth defects. In this case, a medical field based on treatment through the use of biological cells (stem cells) derived from cord blood.
As of today, there are thousands of studies in the world regarding cord blood, and by and large, they all deal with the question: Can cells of fetal origin continue their function after they have been frozen, thawed, and processed, and continue to create the various bodily systems as if the cells were still in the body of the fetus and thus lead to healing or improvement in the medical or functional condition of a person who is no longer a fetus?
Most of the research subjects are still in their initial phases. The initial results of the studies indicate promising intermediate results in indications such as epilepsy, stroke, diabetes, additional autoimmune diseases, orthopedic infections, and many other diseases and illnesses. In this paper, we will bring examples from a published collection of papers.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures resulting from abnormal hyper-synchronization of neurons in the brain. Approximately 30% of epilepsy patients are unsuccessful in controlling their seizures or are resistant to the treatments given today. Therefore, new treatment strategies are required. This study focuses on the effect of autologous mesenchymal stem cells. During the study, 34 patients received two doses of stem cells from bone marrow - one via intravenous infusion. A week later, they received the second dose into the spine. In the first round, there was an improvement among 61% of the subjects. Six months later, they underwent another round of treatment, and the success rate climbed to approximately 76%.
This study is now in its second phase
Stroke
Stroke ranks high on the scale of causes of death or long-term disability. One in six people worldwide is affected by it. In a study conducted in 2018 at Duke University in North Carolina in collaboration with the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, ten ischemic stroke patients (a stroke in which a blood clot blocks the blood vessels in the brain and causes a lack of oxygen supply to the tissue) were given cord blood from a donor. The matching was done solely according to blood type and without tissue classification.
One unit was given between days 3-9 following the stroke. None of the patients showed any side effects relating to cord blood transplantation.
Patient ages range between 18-90, with the median age of the participants being 65.5 years, who suffered from an acute ischemic stroke and were treated with TPA (a substance that breaks down clots) after undergoing imaging.
The patients underwent neurological evaluations according to two types of tests - nRs and NIHSS - a national test for evaluating patients with a stroke. They demonstrated an improvement in the three months after at a level of at least one degree more than generally expected in the rehabilitation process. Four of the patients even succeeded in reaching three degrees more than what they were expected to attain.
For a more in-depth reading of the study
Diabetes
Developing effective strategies to prevent or reverse type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a reality in light of the high physical, emotional, and economic costs that this disease incurs.
The basis of the research effort is using cord blood as a treatment to improve the progression of this disease.
A pilot study was recently initiated to document autologous cord blood transfusion's potential safety and efficacy in subjects with type 1 diabetes.
The studies are performed before infusion and every 3 - 6 months after the infusion to conduct an immunological and metabolic evaluation. So far, 15 autotransfusions have been performed. The results of the initial observations indicate that autologous umbilical cord blood transfusion is safe and provides some slowing of the loss of endogenous insulin production in children with type 1 diabetes.
The conclusions show a need for long-term follow-up and additional mechanistic efforts to determine whether stem cells derived from cord blood can be used as part of safe and effective treatments for children with type 1 diabetes.
For a more in-depth reading of the study
Orthopedics
Osteoarthritis of the knee (OA) is a common condition affecting 240 million people worldwide. Its occurrence is increasing rapidly due to an aging society and rising obesity rates.
The global prevalence of symptomatic knee OA has been estimated at 3.8%. Knee OA has a substantial impact on the patient's quality of life.
Pain and physical disability due to arthritis of the knee are the two main factors affecting the quality of life because of the effects on social connection, relationships, and emotional well-being.
In the research process, donated cord blood was given to patients, and the recovery rates and the economic and social cost-benefit analysis of cord blood cell treatment compared to other treatments were examined.
The study found that giving cord blood to these patients is better for the patient and the health care system in the countries where the patient was treated since the patient required fewer health services after the treatment.
For a more in-depth reading of the study
Autoimmune Diseases
Rheumatoid arthritis
RA is a chronic autoimmune joint disease characterized by invasive synovium inflammation, leading to the destruction of cartilage and bone and even disability. Although some patients can now benefit from anti-rheumatic drugs, many still do not obtain the desired clinical results from current treatments. Therefore, new treatments must be developed, or current treatments must be improved urgently. Many studies have reported that cord blood transplantation can effectively treat the disease.
Cord blood cells benefit RA patients by regulating the ratio/function of immune system cells and reducing inflammatory cytokines in the joints and serum. Previous studies have demonstrated that cord blood cells inhibit the proliferation and IL-6 secretion of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (which alleviates the severity of collagen-induced arthritis.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a chronic and systemic disorder causing abnormal proliferation of keratinocytes and the infiltration of immune cells into the dermis and epidermis, seriously affecting the patient's quality of life. The study investigated the possible therapeutic mechanisms and demonstrated that cord blood cells improved skin inflammation. Another study also found that patients treated with cord blood experienced an improvement in various indicators tested in the patients' blood and associated with the disease.
For a more in-depth reading of the study
