MANILA, Philippines – CordLife, homegrown cord blood banking leader, announced the release of a cord blood unit for the first time to treat a case of cerebral palsy in Singapore.
In this breakthrough medical procedure, the patient, two-year-old Georgia Conn, was infused with her own cord blood stem cells in the hope of repairing damaged brain tissue as a result of injury at birth, which currently has no cure. These stem cells were stored with CordLife by her parents in the eventuality that they might be needed in future.
Cord blood is the preferred source of stem cells for transplantation worldwide. So far, more than 14,000 patients suffering from over 80 diseases have been treated successfully with cord blood stem cells.
Michael Conn, Georgia’s father, says, “We are very grateful to Dr. Keith Goh and CordLife for making this safe treatment possible in Singapore. Without them, we would have had to travel to the United States, which was fraught with potential problems for such a simple procedure. Our experience reaffirms our decision to bank Georgia’s cord blood and the choice of our cord blood bank. They delivered their quality promise when it mattered the most to us.”
Conn adds, “Since the infusion of Georgia’s cord blood, we noticed that she is more vocal and has a renewed enthusiasm for exercise. She is a lot happier and more comfortable at her regular physiotherapy and occupational therapy
sessions. We are heartened with her progress and hope that many other sufferers in Singapore can soon benefit from this procedure.”
Commenting on this pioneering medical treatment, Steven Fang, Group CEO of CordLife Limited, asserts, “We feel very privileged to be a part of this pioneering treatment in Singapore. Our in-depth knowledge of cord blood banking practices and standards, recognized by many gold standards such as the AABB, has helped ensure that we deliver high quality cord blood stem cells to support such a treatment.”
“Storing a baby’s cord blood is increasingly seen to be an essential health care need, especially with a recent study in biology blood marrow transplant showing that as many as one in 200 people may require stem cell transplantation in their lifetime. While the current use of cord blood is predominantly related to certain cancers and blood disorders, researchers around the world are unlocking the autologous (the patient’s own) use of cord blood stem cells for cellular therapy to help repair damaged or diseased tissue. We believe once these advances translate to successful therapies, more medical options may be available to families who have stored their children’s cord blood.”
This pioneering treatment has been initiated extensively in the United States and Europe via clinical trials to determine the mechanism of action. The most well-known case study involving 97 patients was conducted at Duke University in the United States by Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, professor of pediatrics and pathology, and expert transplant physician.
Dr. Keith Goh, lead clinician and neurosurgeon, notes, “Stem cells, especially those derived from cord blood, have enormous potential for new growth and regeneration of damaged tissue. It is estimated that one in every 500 babies is affected by cerebral palsy. For these children and other patients with similar neurological insults, it is possible that stem cell treatment holds the key to improving their lives. Most importantly, since these treatments are autologous, they are safe and viable.”
Consequently, a clinical trial led by Dr. Goh will be initiated to bring this exciting new application
to Singapore.
For more information, call CordLife Philippines at 710-9195.
Original article, published by The Philippine Star on January 19, 2010 12:00 AM, can be found here.
