FDA approved - Cord blood stem cells to treat nerve deafness in children

kokonut

kokonut

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Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and Cord Blood Registry® (CBR) are launching the first FDA-approved, Phase I safety study on the use of cord blood stem cells to treat children with sensorineural hearing loss.

The study, which will use patients’ stem cells from their own stored umbilical cord blood, is the first-of-its-kind, and has the potential to restore hearing. This follows evidence from published laboratory studies that cord blood helps repair damaged organs in the inner ear.

The year-long study will follow 10 children, ages 6 weeks to 18 months, who have sustained post-birth hearing loss. Children who are deaf as a result of a genetic anomaly or syndrome are not eligible. To ensure consistency in cord blood stem cell processing, storage, and release for infusion, CBR is the only stem cell bank providing clients for the study.
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First FDA-Approved Study of Stem Cells to Treat Hearing Loss Begins at Children
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Researchers will obtain and process the patients’ stored cord blood for treatment. The cells then will be given to the patients via IV infusion, and patients will be observed for several hours in the hospital.

Patients will return to the hospital to repeat all tests except the MRI at one month and one year, and all tests with an MRI at six months.

“This study is exciting because it might offer a non-surgical option for some children with profound loss,” Linda Baumgartner said. “More importantly, this is the first treatment with the potential to restore normal hearing.”
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Wow. Well, that's coming in a lot sooner than expected of all places, the United States in the restoration of nerve deafness in children. This is the first of its kind here. All done naturally, too, using the children's own stem cells from their own cord blood. It'll be interesting to read up on the results in 2013 or 2014. Looking forward to it.
 
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Majority of deafness is from syndromes or genetics.

Guess they are only speaking of deafness that came from illnesses or lack of oxygen during birth.
 
Babyblue said:
Majority of deafness is from syndromes or genetics.

Guess they are only speaking of deafness that came from illnesses or lack of oxygen during birth.
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Yes, something that interrupted inside the cochlea its development causing nerve (sensorineural) deafness.
 
The cells then will be given to the patients via IV infusion, and patients will be observed for several hours in the hospital.
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Wow! Did not know they did it per IV infusion. Wonders how it works.
 
kokonut said:
Yes, something that interrupted inside the cochlea its development causing nerve (sensorineural) deafness.
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In my case, it was most likely sedatives given to my mother for her leg bone graft operation. She said she could feel me asleep for days after the operation before I woke up again. I was apparently at the stage my auditory nerves were supposed to be forming when the operation occurred. It was done because the doctors didn't believe that she was carrying me, since she had a known history of not conceiving children. She was 43 when she finally had me.

This is why my hearing feels like it's partially awake or asleep. It's like you're talking with a friend so intently that you're not sure that you heard clearly your order number being called out for your food at the counter. You knew you heard something, but you're not sure what it was, or couldn't make out what it was. The difference is, I can be listening for it with no distractions to my attention, and yet, it sounds incomplete. Like I'm half asleep and I say, "What? Say that again?"

That's partly why I can understand pages on the intercom at work, as long as it's something predictable like "Camping line one, camping... Line. One," or "Tony, you have a call on line three," or quickly, "David, 237, David 237." I can even tell you who said it if the voice is distinctive enough. We have certain people with distinctive tones to their voices, and I can tell them apart, but the rest of the people with similar voices, no, but they can tell somehow. BUT, if it's an announcement of an outdoor clinic for Arbor Day or Backpacking Basics, because it's not predictable, I won't understand any of it. The question is why? Is my "guessing vocabulary" not sophisticated enough? I'm not getting sufficient information in an unknown context to be able to understand it or "guess it completely." Could it be palsy of my auditory nerves? Or am I auditorially "autistic" or have auditory asperger's? It's like I get some things, and some things I don't get. Like I thought a song said, "Get yourself down, get yourself down, right now," but turned out to be "Kick it right down, kick it right down, right down" (Dead or Alive's "Sit On It"). I wonder why that is. I have times, because of my dietary, where suddenly, I'm listening to music, and I go, "O. M. F. G... WHAT WAS THAT?" and I'll back up to that section and notice I had not heard that before or quite that richly. Like it woke up just a little bit...

If this can be used in nerve deafness, then the death of Deaf Culture has begun... Give it two full, lived out generations (not including mine), and it will be a lot smaller.
 
That's interesting to see this is out so soon. It does seems like it is for a specific cause of deafness, using the patient's own umbilical cells for treatment.

I notice that it says the current eligible age is for infants aged six to eighteen months. I wonder if that means the treatment is ineffective for prospective patients who are past that age, or if they are just taking precautions.
 
naisho said:
That's interesting to see this is out so soon. It does seems like it is for a specific cause of deafness, using the patient's own umbilical cells for treatment.

I notice that it says the current eligible age is for infants aged six to eighteen months. I wonder if that means the treatment is ineffective for prospective patients who are past that age, or if they are just taking precautions.
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No, it's because of the spoken/listening language skill developement.

“Children only have 18 months to acquire language skills and, if a child does not hear well, they will not acquire the language skills to speak normally,” said James Baumgartner, M.D., sponsor of the study and guest research collaborator at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School.
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Babyblue said:
Wow! Did not know they did it per IV infusion. Wonders how it works.
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Probably very similiarly to a bone marrow transplant. The cells are harvested, grown, and then, infused into the recipient just like any other IV infusion would be. The process of infusion is probably quite simple. But, preparing for that infusion may NOT be. I didn't read KoKo's article, so I don't know if the person has to undergo chemo or radiation like it typical of other transplants .
 
No chemo or radiation. Just using the rich supply of stem cells in cord blood and prepare them for IV infusion. And if this actually works by using this relatively simple process, it won't be long until this becomes a common procedure. Now, we wait and see. It'll be a few years til we hear something from this. But who knows, maybe we'll hear it sooner from other countries doing a similar process for sensorineural hearing loss. How exciting!
 
Oceanbreeze said:
Probably very similiarly to a bone marrow transplant. The cells are harvested, grown, and then, infused into the recipient just like any other IV infusion would be. The process of infusion is probably quite simple. But, preparing for that infusion may NOT be. I didn't read KoKo's article, so I don't know if the person has to undergo chemo or radiation like it typical of other transplants .
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kokonut said:
No chemo or radiation. Just using the rich supply of stem cells in cord blood and prepare them for IV infusion. And if this actually works by using this relatively simple process, it won't be long until this becomes a common procedure. Now, we wait and see. It'll be a few years til we hear something from this. But who knows, maybe we'll hear it sooner from other countries doing a similar process for sensorineural hearing loss. How exciting!
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I hope it is not similar to bone marrow transplant. Since the Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) OR as we would say, bone marrow transplant are very dangerous and risky.
 
Babyblue said:
I hope it is not similar to bone marrow transplant. Since the Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) OR as we would say, bone marrow transplant are very dangerous and risky.
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No, it is not the same or similar thing. It uses the baby's umbilical cord's blood (cord blood) which is rich in stem cells. Everything would be done intravenously.
 
If I were a young woman having babies today, I would definitely choose to have my babies' cord blood stored. There are so many applications for it now, and no doubt will be more, even in the very near future.
 
Beach girl said:
If I were a young woman having babies today, I would definitely choose to have my babies' cord blood stored. There are so many applications for it now, and no doubt will be more, even in the very near future.
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I believe someday soon storing the baby's cord blood will be a standard procedure.
 
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