We all know that autism cannot be cured. But researchers at the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development have found a way to alleviate the symptoms of autism, thereby giving children with the condition a better life. And the key to this therapy lies in your own stem cells from the umbilical cord blood.
Duke researchers conducted a study to find out if autism symptoms can be reduced in degree by infusion of blood, derived from your own umbilical cord. They have published their findings in April 2017 and have had all the media attention ever since.
The trial involved 25 children between the ages of 2 and 6. Geraldine Dawson, director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, confirmed that all of the children have shown improvements in terms of autistic symptoms. Dawson said: “We measured the children’s social and communication skills using various tests and parent questionnaires. We found the infusion to be safe and many children showed improvements in their language and social skills.”
In this study, children received stem cells from their own umbilical cord blood. After the infusion, his improvements were closely monitored. The doctors found that the infusion was completely safe for children. After one year, these children were called in for another round of tests to measure their further improvements.
Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, a professor in the department of pediatrics, said the process is completely new to them. Dawson said the study is still in its early stages, as they don’t have any standard comparison factors to compare the effectiveness of autism therapy, as there was no control group of autistic children involved in the study to compare the results. Dawson added: “Because there was no comparison group in this study, we don’t yet know if the improvements we saw were due to cord blood. While we hope this is helping, we don’t want to prematurely make claims that haven’t been confirmed”.
After the successful Phase I, the team is ready to begin the Phase II trial, which is expected to be completed in two years. Unlike Phase I, the second Phase will include a blinded control group, where children will receive a placebo infusion. In addition, 165 children with autism will participate in Phase II.
Dawson said that the children will be divided into two groups. One group will receive cord blood stem cells and another group will receive a placebo. The groups will be changed at six months and the children will receive the opposite therapy. This will allow researchers to discover the efficacy of stem cell therapy for autism. Kurtzberg added: “There is a remodeling of certain abnormal brain connections [by the microglia]which then results in decreased autism symptoms.”
Although the first trial showed immense improvements in children, the team is still hesitant to call it a full-fledged trial therapy for treating autism symptoms. They will be able to answer all the unanswered questions after the Phase II comparison. Kurtzberg added: “At the conclusion of the [the Phase II] study, we will be able to answer the question of whether the cells are effective.”