ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, may be treated by cord blood, according to researchers at the University of Florida.  In a recent article, researchers stated that a moderate-strength dose of human umbilical cord blood was most effective in increasing lifespan and reducing disease progression in mice.  Researchers claim that modulating immune and inflammatory effectors with human umbilical cord blood cells may have a protective effect on dying motor neurons.  The team previously demonstrated that human umbilical cord blood cell transplants reduce inflammation and provide neuroprotection in models of stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. 

Stony Brook University Medical Center is launching a clinical trial examining the the infusion of stem cells to treat Crohn’s Disease.  If you are familiar with Crohn’s Disease, it is a life-altering disease that can eventually lead to removal of part of a patient’s intestines.

It is hoped that this treatment will induce remission for patients who are no longer responding to existing regimens.  Crohn’s Disease has meaning for me personally because I have a friends who suffers from Crohn’s.  I have seen how he suffers and how he has lost opportunities because of months in the hospital, trying to control a flare-up of the disease.  If doctors can come up with a treatment to help these patients who will not respond to existing regimens, it will be a huge improvement to many peoples’ lives.

M.A.Z.E. Cord Blood Laboratories has developed a cord blood quiz for Facebook.  Visit the quiz here and test your knowledge of cord blood banking and storage.  Enjoy! 

Most of the major cord blood banking companies maintain the similar or the same standards (no matter what their marketing materials say), but new companies keep popping up in the industry.  How do parents know that the cord blood company they choose maintains high standards?  To help parents, many states have begun regulating cord blood banking to institute quality requirements.  M.A.Z.E. Cord Blood Laboratories has earned a California license to go with its NY, NJ, and Maryland licenses. 

Each state has different requirements for licensing and each license means that the cord blood bank meets the requirements of that state.  The more licenses a cord blood bank has, the more it is regulated.  Just because a cord blood bank doesn’t have a license doesn’t mean it is no good, but licenses are an unbiased way for parents to determine if a cord blood bank meets certain standards.

M.A.Z.E. Cord Blood Laboratories has posted the June issue of Waiting for Baby, the newsletter for expectant parents.  This month’s issue has a great article on preparing the baby’s nursery.  With summer here, it also includes tips on boosting your energy.

Enjoy!

The diseases that are treated by stem cells are extremely serious.  For that reason, you rarely see the word cure when articles discuss stem cells.  You will often see improvement, remission, but rarely are medical professionals willing to go out on a limb with the word cure.  That was what I found so amazing about a recent article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

According to this article, a researcher recently treated a young child suffering from recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB).  This disease prevents the body from manufacturing a certain protein that forms one of the collagens that is required to keep the skin intact.  Without this collagen, the skin blisters and falls off from the slightest bump. 

Last October, a young child suffering from RDEB received a transplant of cord blood and bone marrow stem cells.  Gradually, his family began to notice a change in the child’s skin.  Tests showed he had started to develop the missing collagen.  He is currently cured of the disease.  His older brother, who is also suffering from the disease, is scheduled to get a transplant this month. 

I liked this article because of a specific quote from the researcher.  As printed in the Star-Tribune, ‘”Maybe we can take one more disorder off the incurable list,” said Dr. John Wagner, a bone marrow specialist and stem cell researcher at the university,’ referring to the University of Minnesota scientist.  I find the idea of finding a cure for an incurable disease just amazing.  It must bring such hope to parents whose children are suffering from rare diseases.