A young boy from Kolkata, India was 18 months of age when his parents noticed his communication skills were not progressing compared to the other children his age. The child’s birth was a month premature and he was diagnosed having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Autism can be characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as unique strengths and differences. He had enough of these traits to be recognized as being on the spectrum.
After much research, the boy’s parents learned that in 2014 (the same year the baby was born), Duke University launched the first in a series of clinical trials treating autism with cord blood stem cells. Fortunately, the parents had his cord blood stored in a private cord blood bank. They asked to take part in a clinical trial at Duke, which took place in July 2017.
Nine months after starting cord blood therapy, the boy’s father noticed remarkable changes in his communication and cognitive skills.
“We were happy that we made a wise decision of preserving our baby’s umbilical cord stem cells at birth in 2014, which were used to treat my son for autism. Today, we are seeing great progress in terms of development milestones in my son.”
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Learn more about current treatment and the many clinical trials underway.