Georgia Hospital Tests Cord Blood Treatment for Cerebral Palsy

A new study is taking place at Georgia’s Health Sciences University to test the efficacy of cord blood therapy in the treatment of cerebral palsy. It is the first of its kind in Augusta, Georgia, and researchers hope that it will lead to the establishment of a new treatment for the disease.  

The goal of the study is to find out whether cord blood stem cells are a viable option in the treatment of cerebral palsy. Although the developments of cord blood therapy are still in their early stages, the parents of one participant, Allison Thurman, are already seeing improvements.  

“We don’t know when she’ll be able to walk but we saw dramatic improvement in her speech, and graduated from speech therapy after coming home,” said Thurman. 

The Thurman family stored Allison’s cord blood at birth. After being diagnosed with cerebral palsy, the young girl underwent cord blood therapy as part of the clinical trial at the Health Sciences University. Her family is pleased with the results so far and they hope to see more improvements in the future.  

Doctors conducting the trial hope that they can prove cord blood stem cells to be an effective treatment. They believe that even if they do not present a cure, the study will be a success if cord blood can help to improve the condition of patients.  

http://www2.wjbf.com/news/2011/nov/18/augusta-stem-cell-study-may-help-t...