Transplantation of stem cells just might help babies with cerebral palsy

Doctors are conducting research to discover whether brain damage that comes about throughout the birth of babies could be repaired with stem cell transplants

Cerebral palsy is really a expression used for brain damage (poor muscle coordination) occurring before or during birth. Half the normal commission of babies sustain the harm during birth, when complications for example prolonged deliveries occur. Prolonged deliveries may cause deficiencies in oxygen the youngsters brain causing permanent brain damage or cerebral palsy. It is crucial that doctors act inside the standard of care to insure that youngsters are delivered inside a safe and healthy manor. When problems do prove, and brain damage can be seen, stem cell transplantation might be able to turn back permanent damage which has occurred.

Preliminary data on animals indicates that mature stem cells in the bone marrow will migrate towards the site of brain injury. Scientific studies are quickly being carried out to improve this natural repair process.

Obviously it might be most appropriate if more care was come to prevent brain injuries from happening during delivery. However, with this particular new procedure that's being tested on animals, bone marrow is taken away in one group and transplanted right into a different group to determine the results. Cells in the bone marrow are transplanted to the vascular system from the other group and monitored to determine if the transplanted cells will discover their method to the mind to assist repair damaged cognitive abilities making a new one too. The concept is the fact that when the cells are transplanted to the right place they may implant and function.

Researchers aspire to begin clinical trials on mature stem cells in about 5 years. Cerebral palsy leads to an array of disability, from undetectable to severe physical disability. Some children also provide accompanying learning and memory problems. Doctors think that the transplant techniques being developed to assist brain injured babies have the possibility to aid in an array of other disabilities too.


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