Two separate data abstracts displayed at the annual scientific meeting of the AABB - an international association of medical professionals and institutions focused on transfusion, transplantation and cellular therapy - highlight the increasing therapeutic use of autologous (one's own) cord blood stem cells for transplant and regenerative medicine, including treatments for blood and immune disorders, juvenile diabetes and neurological repair.
They also demonstrate the important role of family (or private) cord blood banks in advancing these treatments.
Autologous Treatment Protocol for Aplastic Anemia
The first study analyzed four cases where an individual's own cord blood stem cells were released to treat aplastic anemia. The cord blood was processed and stored at Cord Blood Registry and the transplants were conducted at three different institutions: The University of Minnesota, City of Hope (Los Angeles), and Children's Hospital in Seattle. The cases suggest that autologous cord blood transplantation for aplastic anemia is a safe and effective treatment protocol and demonstrate that this approach is amenable to use at different treatment centers across the United States.
“Aplastic anemia is a life-threatening disease with no known cause that can be acquired at any time in life and is difficult to treat,” said lead study investigator Dr. David T. Harris, Ph.D., professor of immunology at the University of Arizona and scientific director of Cord Blood Registry. “This study offers evidence that transplant physicians have a safe and effective weapon for combating this disease for patients who have access to their own cord blood stem cells.”
The analysis also showed that:
- One of the autologous samples used was stored for 9.5 years, which is the longest period of time a family-banked cord blood sample has been stored prior to use.
- Engraftment, the point at which the stem cells start to generate new blood cells, occurred as early as two days after transplantation in one patient and averaged 22 days across the four cases. According to the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), the average time to engraftment for cord blood is between 21 and 35 days.
Autologous Cord Blood Use in Regenerative Medicine
The second report documented 13 cases of autologous cord blood stem cell use in both traditional and regenerative medicine applications. Sample release data suggest a rising demand for autologous cord blood over the last 10 years and an increase in samples requested for regenerative medicine applications.
In addition to the four cases of aplastic anemia (reviewed in detail in the first study), the report documented nine samples released for regenerative therapies: