If you’re in Auckland this weekend, then we’d love to see you at the Parent & Child Show at the ASB Showgrounds!
We’ll be on Stand 37 this Friday, Saturday and Sunday so if you’re going along, come and say ‘Hi!”
The show is New Zealand’s biggest parenting event offering everything you need to raise a young family.
If you’ve got children under the age of five or are expecting a baby, The ASG Parent and Child show is an unmissable one-stop-shop where you can browse an astonishing variety of the latest products in one, family-friendly place.
For more info on the show, click here
Mother’s Little Helper, the latest book published by green guru Wendyl Nissen, takes expectant mothers through their pregnancy and right through to the first year of their baby’s life and gives them 85 old-fashioned recipes for everything from baby wipes to face cream and rice cereal.
Cord blood banking is increasingly being recognised as the most eco-friendly way to provide protection for your baby’s immune system – simply by saving their own cord blood stem cells at birth.
We have 10 copies of Mother’s Little Helper to give away. Just send us an email to info@cordbank.co.nz with the reason why you decided to bank your baby’s cord blood and you’ll go into the draw to win a copy. Entries close on Sunday 9 October 2011.
Mother’s Little Helper also explains which chemicals should be avoided and quotes numerous health studies which are warning us about the dangers of some chemicals in our lives.
The book has already received rave reviews from three mums: “Mother of the Nation” Judy Bailey, Lorraine Downes and Kerre Woodham.
“What a thoroughly useful, sensible and reassuring source of information for new mums … I’m certainly going to make sure my daughter has a copy!” – Judy Bailey.
“Her honesty and humour is clearly heard in her words. I wish I had this book to read during my first pregnancy. What a wealth of vital information for all new mums.” – Lorraine Downes.
“This wonderful book is the perfect gift for new mums. Packed full of sensible advice and common sense, it’s like having a grandmother on hand at any hour of the day and night.” – Kerre Woodham.
Every time you recommend CordBank to a friend or family member you could get a year’s free storage for the both of you! Find out how
A study at Shandong University in China is currently recruiting participants to investigate the efficacy of cord blood stem cells to treat Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common form of diabetes. In New Zealand about 270,000 people have Type 2 diabetes and about one third of cases of Type 2 diabetes are undiagnosed. The numbers of people developing Type 2 diabetes is rapidly increasing.
Type 2 diabetes most often occurs in adulthood between the ages of 30 to 40. However, increasing numbers of teenagers and children are developing Type 2 diabetes. New estimates indicate 500 young people aged between 10 and 18 years have the disease that was, only a few years ago, virtually unknown in this age group.*
The study started in July this year and will be completed in July 2014. To read more on the study click here
Next month will see Aucklander, Frances Everall celebrating the fourth anniversary since her successful reinfusion with her cord blood stem cells, a very special milestone her family never thought she’d see.
In 2007, aged just four, Frances Everall was diagnosed with a Stage 4 Neuroblastoma (a cancer of the nervous system) and one of the options given by doctors at Starship was to take her home to die. If the cancer didn’t kill her the doctors said, the treatment possibly would.
Family member Kristina Anderson said there was no history of cancer and they were devastated when doctors at Starship said Frances wasn’t expected to survive the Stage 4 cancer they diagnosed.
But thanks to their decision to bank Frances’ cord blood at her birth, they were able to use these precious stem cells to rebuild her immune system after it was destroyed through the cancer treatment.
Today Frances is healthy little girl enjoying school and time with her family and friends.
“You never know what’s going to happen in your child’s future – having the cord blood stored saved her life.”
The family thinks of it as similar to taking out a fire insurance policy, “You don’t want your house to burn down but if it did you’d be pleased you had planned for it,” said Kristina. To view Frances’ story click here
Back in 2009, we reported on research from Italy published in the journal Cell Transplantation that investigated whether hearing loss due to cochlear damage could be repaired by transplanting cord blood stem cells. At the time the research team carried out their testing on animal models. Moving forward to 2011, the research is now ready to be tested on humans.
The University of Texas Health Science Centre in Houston is now recruiting human participants for a trial to investigate the use of autologous cord blood stem cell treatment in children with acquired hearing loss.
Acquired sensorineural hearing loss is characterised by a loss of functioning hair cells in the Organ of Corti, with greater hair cell loss correlating with more severe hearing impairment. Children with sensorineural hearing loss experience difficulty developing normal language which usually leads to poor academic and social development. Currently, there are no reparative therapeutic options available, and treatments are designed to augment the diminished function of the injured Organ of Corti.
Pre-clinical data suggests progenitor cell infusions may enhance intrinsic repair mechanisms in the Organ of Corti which may restore hair cells. This treatment could ultimately lead to hearing improvement. Human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) is an available, autologous, stored progenitor cell population available for potential therapeutic use.
The primary objective of this study is to determine the safety of autologous hUCB infusion in children with acquired hearing loss. The secondary objective is to determine if functional, physiologic and anatomic outcomes are improved following hUCB treatment in this patient population.
The estimated study completion date is 2015. To read more on the study click here
Over $65,000 will be invested in research into regenerative and stem cell medicine in New Zealand – thanks to Maia Friedlander and her family.
The unique fundraiser was sponsored by The Friedlander Foundation. Daniel & Jillian Friedlander are the parents of Auckland girl Maia, who was the first New Zealand to benefit from a reinfusion of her own cord blood – after she suffered a brain injury at birth.
Inspired by the progress Maia has made since her treatment in 2008, the Friedlander family wanted to see more research carried out in this area in New Zealand and partnered with the Auckland Medical Research Foundation to achieve this goal.
“We were very proud to partner with the AMFR by supporting this fundraising effort which will help New Zealand researchers learn more about how to harness the potential of cord blood stem cells in regenerative medicine.
It’s an area very close to our hearts and we give thanks every day that we had the foresight to bank Maia’s cord blood at birth.
Banking Maia’s cord blood at birth with CordBank is the best decision we ever made. Her recovery since her reinfusion has been nothing short of miraculous and essentially it gave us our daughter back – we now have a real, active family – and who could ask for more than that!” said Jillian.
To view Maia’s story, click here
100% of the funds will be going to support the work of researchers in New Zealand – and we look forward to hearing about the exciting progress they make with this support. To learn more about the invaluable work that the AMRF carries out, click here
A new stem cell treatment costing around AU$2,500 is now available for pets. The treatment involves new cells being placed into damaged tissue to treat disease or injury.
Injured and arthritic dogs are undergoing stem cell treatment for the first time at two separate vet clinics in Mundaring and Champion Lakes in Western Australia.
The procedure involves harvesting stem cells from the animal’s fatty tissue and activating them utilising LED light technology, to heal degenerative joint conditions.
The stem cell therapy, which takes place in a day, means that pets suffering common ailments including hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis no longer need suffer chronic pain.
Their mobility is improved and so is their quality of life. The treatment is drug-free, so there are apparently no side-effects.
Veterinarian Colin Sherry, from the Champion Lake Vet Centre, said the procedure had been conducted successfully on hundreds of animals across the world and that he would be offering the procedure to clients within weeks.
The treatment developed by Australian company Medivet, has already been taken to Canada, Europe and the United States and recently launched in the UK.
For the full story read here
A study is being conducted by China’s Qingdao University to investigate the efficacy of cord blood to treat liver cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis of the liver is now the third highest cause of death in the Western world. The devastating disease is caused by factors including alcohol abuse and hepatitis resulting in scarring and poor liver function. Patients often require a liver transplant, but these are expensive and rarely available – only 35 are conducted in New Zealand every year.
For the study, cord blood was infused into 50 patients through the hepatic artery – the major artery that supplies blood to the liver. Patients’ liver function will be tested at four weekly intervals to test for improvement against the control group which will receive the more traditional antiviral drugs, lowering aminotransferase (liver enzyme) and jaundice medicine.
The study will conclude at the end of 2012.
For the full story read here
A little girl suffering from sickle cell anaemia is now well and back at school following an umbilical cord blood stem cell transfusion from her brother.
Since birth, American girl Carol Mulumba, now 10, had been shuttled to and from emergency rooms and specialists, fighting Sickle cell anaemia – an inherited abnormality of the blood that can lead to blindness and organ failure.
Hunting for a transplant match for their daughter, the Mulumbas scoured public cord blood banks around the country, but without luck.
When Lukiah Mulumba became pregnant, the Cord Blood Registry offered to store her baby’s cord blood for free as part of a programme it offers to some 3,500 close relatives of patients with diseases treatable by cord blood.
As Carol grew older her pain worsened, but pain relief including morphine stopped working. Her growth was stunted, her eyes became yellow and jaundiced, and ultrasounds of her brain showed a stroke was imminent. As Carol’s brother was a match, doctors gave Carol a transfusion of his umbilical cord blood stem cells. In addition, the doctors used chemotherapy to force Carol’s bones to stop producing cells so the new blood could catch on. After a month, Carol’s results showed 100% healthy blood cells.
She spent another 6 months in bed, time in which her eyes cleared and her pain went away, said her father. Although she had to wear a surgical mask at first, she was allowed to go back to school in 2010.
“It took time,” said Carol, who said the hardest part of the process was being quarantined from most visitors. “I’m not short anymore,” she added.
For the full story read here
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