May 24 – All hope for a 3-½ year old girl affected with cerebral paralysis since birth lies in her umbilical cord stem cells. She was the first Italian patient to undergo an autologous cord blood cells transplant. The surgery was performed at Duke University Medical Center (Durham, North Carolina) within the scientific protocol coordinated by pediatrician Joanne Kurtzberg. The little girl was selected worldwide among the 4,700 children with cerebral paralysis whose parents, choosing to privately store cord blood stem cells, wanted to give their children a cellular landscape. “This is the first case in Italy – says Irene Martini, scientific director of SmartBank (the first Italian bank that allows parents to store cord blood stem cells) – of autologous transplantation with cord blood stem. Contrary to those who argue the futility to store your own cord blood stem, it seems to be store a great opportunity.” Irene Martini, the only Italian representative admitted to the Board of the Foundation Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood, an international reference point for both public donation and for private conservation, continues: “The researchers, coordinated by Dr. Kurtzberg, developed a therapy that allows to correct in an innovative manner the structural and biochemical alterations of this debilitating disease. These cells can act in multiple ways: reducing the appearance of inflammation and releasing growth factors that have regenerative properties, thus improving cognitive and motor recovery.” The parameters of the child that underwent surgery were within the parameters laid down by the scientific protocol. The cord blood stem cells, collected three and half years ago and preserved in the SmartBank laboratories of the University of Plymouth, were found fit for use, meeting all the stringent quality characteristics required. So the girl was admitted to the clinical trial, with other 60 children between the ages of 1 and 6.
