Dr Megan Finch-Edmondson
Senior Research Fellow and Regeneration Theme Lead, Cerebral Palsy Alliance
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, The University of Sydney
Cerebral palsy is a lifelong neurological condition caused by injury to the developing brain that affects movement and posture. Current treatments for cerebral palsy mainly focus on symptom management, and there are no treatments that directly target the underlying brain injury. There is significant interest in investigating umbilical cord blood as a treatment for cerebral palsy. This is because cord blood contains a variety of stem and progenitor cells that may have several benefits, with laboratory research showing that treatment reduces brain injury, cell death and inflammation. Umbilical cord blood has now been tested in several clinical trials for children with cerebral palsy, including more than 600 participants who have received this intervention. Promisingly, this research indicates that cord blood treatment is safe and can lead to improvements in gross motor skills. Work we are currently undertaking is also revealing who we should treat, how we should and when, to get maximal response. Further research is planned which may contribute to cord blood one day becoming an approved treatment for children with cerebral palsy.
Thank you,
Megan
Megan Finch-Edmondson PhD
Senior Stem Cell Research Fellow, Regeneration Theme Lead
Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute
Adjunct Senior Lecturer
Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, the University of Sydney
Brain and Mind Centre, Level 4 88 Mallett Street, Camperdown, NSW 2050
The University of Sydney