Cerebral Palsy Research
Cerebral palsy is a general term used to describe a group of neurological disorders that appear in early childhood and permanently affect muscle coordination and body movement. It is most often caused by brain injury or an abnormality in the brain resulting from infection or trauma sustained in the womb or during the early years of life. Each year 10,000 babies and infants are diagnosed with cerebral palsy.1 While prenatal care can reduce the risk that a child will develop some rare forms of cerebral palsy; the types of injuries that most often cause the disorder are usually not foreseeable or preventable. To learn more about cerebral palsy, visit the National Institutes of Health’s information page.
As few as five years ago, parents of affected children had little hope for treating this condition, but now a reinfusion of stem cells from the child’s own cord blood is being evaluated as a possible treatment. Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg at Duke University Medical Center was the first to perform a reinfusion of cord blood stem cells as a treatment for cerebral palsy. Thanks to a recent grant of $10.2 million dollars from the Robertson Foundation, Dr. Kurtzberg and her team have moved into a Phase II clinical trial, which, if successful, may help more people with cerebral palsy gain access to the therapy. Researchers at Duke University are currently accepting participants in the Phase II clinical trial. ViaCord clients interested in participating should review and complete our Cerebral Palsy Study Inquiry Form.
To learn more about the journeys and varied experiences of ViaCord families participating in the research studies at Duke University, visit the ViaCord Blog for Katie’s story, Lillian’s story, Cady’s story, & Rebecca’s story.
Watch CBS Evening News coverage of “Cord Blood Breakthrough”, where Dr. Kurtzberg provides additional insight about her cerebral palsy research.
Cord Blood Breakthrough, “Doctors have long used umbilical cord blood to treat sick babies, but now that treatment has given new hope to thousands of babies born with brain damage and their parents. Nancy Cordes reports.” CBS Evening News Videos