Cord Blood & Spinal Injury Since 2007 Dr Young has been leading a 25 centre trial in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan – using cord blood and lithium to regenerate the spinal cord. “Both cord blood and lithium have a long history of being used safely as effective therapies. The combination of both cord blood cells and lithium holds exciting promise – as numerous studies have shown that umbilical cord blood stem cells improve spinal cord function in rats. We also know that lithium increases the production of neurotrophins (proteins that stimulate the growth of nerve cells) by cord blood stem cells,” said Dr Young. Based on the outcome of these trials, Dr Young is planning a multicentre phase 3 trial in the United States using cord blood and lithium combined with intense rehabilitation for the treatment of chronic spinal cord injury in adults aged 18 – 65 years old. Further trials involving older patients (aged 65 – 80) and those aged 8 -17 also are being planned. Just email your questions into us [email protected] and we’ll post his answers on our site. Cord blood stem cells are the building blocks of organs, tissues, blood and the immune system. They can also turn into other types of cells including heart, muscle and nerve cells. For the past 30 years cord blood has been used to rebuild children’s immune systems after cancer treatment — as an alternative to bone marrow transplants. Medical science now believes that stem cell therapy has the potential to radically change the treatment of human diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, MS, Alzheimer’s, strokes and liver diseases. Latest emerging medical therapies for a child’s own cord blood include Type 1 diabetes and brain injuries caused by oxygen deprivation or trauma — with many new uses rapidly emerging. Unlike current medical treatments that address the symptoms of an illness, cellular medicine works on correcting or replacing damaged cells. Families who store their newborn’s cord blood at birth give them the chance to benefit from the many future treatments that may depend on these powerful, perfectly matched stem cells. They value the peace of mind they gain from knowing they have done everything possible to give their child the best start in life.