research & innvoation

Regenerative Medicine Research

Cord Blood Stem Cells
and Their Potential

Watch the remarkable CBR client family stories at the forefront of regenerative medicine:

Girl’s Own Cord Blood Used to Treat Her Brain Injury

Chloe Levine story on FOX News"Stem cells certainly can rejuvenate tissue" said
Dr. Manny Alvarez,
FOX News medical correspondent and health editor, "this is a miracle."
View Story

Regenerative Medicine Research

The power of your own cord blood stem cells

CBR’s presence in advancing the science of regenerative medicine is recognized across some of the top academic centers in the world. Our clinical development strategy is to be a collaborator and partner to leading physicians, medical researchers and academic medicine. As the largest cord blood bank in the world, these centers reach out to us to help them push the science forward. We provide our clients access to participate in the most significant landmark trials in regenerative medicine that are investigating treatments for diseases like juvenile diabetes and cerebral palsy.

This collaborative approach is a choice we have made. We forgo the need to burden our company with the financial risks resulting from clinical research often associated with traditional biotech and research and development focused companies. Our commitment is to ensure that we advance the science while being financially strong so that our clients know that their child’s stem cells are safe and secure for a long time to come.

Learn more about stem cells and how they are being used in regenerative medicine therapies:

   Watch: How Stem Cells Work

   Watch: What is the Potential of Cord Blood Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine

Brain Injury

Along with leading medical centers, Duke University and the University of Texas, CBR has participated in groundbreaking clinical research to utilize cord blood stem cells to improve outcomes after brain injury. Circumstances of treatment include anoxic brain injury at birth, cerebral palsy, and traumatic brain injury.

Find out how stem cells are being used to improve outcomes after brain injury:

   Watch: Fox News – Cord Blood Reverses Girl's Cerebral Palsy

   Watch: How Stem Cell Therapy Can Help The Brain Repair Itself

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Juvenile Diabetes

Research conducted at the University of Florida indicated the potential for the use of cord blood stem cells to regenerate insulin production in juvenile diabetes patients. In 2006, CBR inquired with our client population about the incidence of juvenile diabetes and a number of cases were reported. These children are now pioneers in helping to develop effective therapies for juvenile diabetes using one’s own stem cells. This option is only available to these children because their parents made the decision to preserve their cord blood. We continue to advance our collaboration with the University of Florida.

Read a news article about the University of Florida’s exciting study on stem cells' use in juvenile diabetes

Reference: Haller MJ, Viener HL, Brusko T, et al. Insulin Requirements, HbA1c, and Stimulated C-peptide following Autologous Umbilical Cord Blood Transfusion in Children with T1D. Abstract presented at: Annual Meeting of the American Diabetes Association, Scientific Sessions; June 22-26, 2007 Chicago, IL.

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Heart Disease & Conditions:

In a 2005 meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, Dr. Harris presented results suggesting the potential for cord blood stem cells to improve outcomes in human patients following heart attack. His data showed that in an animal model of heart attack, intracoronary delivery of cord blood stem cells increased the vascular density in the heart compared to untreated animals.

Read a news article about how cord blood stem cells may help repair babies' heart defects

Reference: Harris DT, He X, Ahmad N, et al. The potential of cord blood stem cells for tissue engineering. Poster presented at: International Society for Stem Cell Research. June 2005; San Francisco, CA. Sunkomat, JNE, S Goldman, DT Harris and MA Gaballa. Cord blood-derived MNCs delivered intracoronary contribute differently to vascularization compared to CD34+ cells in the rat model of acute ischemia. Submitted, Stem Cells, 2006. Harris, DT, H He and M Gaballa. The potential of cord blood stem cells for use in regenerative medicine of the heart. 2nd International Stem Cells Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 22-24 Jan 2007.

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Cancer

CBR collaborated with Dr. Akita Shibata of Stanford University to utilize cord blood stem cell units and familial history profiles to isolate determinants of genetic predisposition for breast cancer, one of the leading causes of death in the female population. This research provides insight for clinicians to plan strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of this common health threat.

Reference: Shibata A, Harris DT, Billings PR. Concentrations of estrogens and IGFs in umbilical cord blood plasma: A comparison among Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian-American Females. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2002;87(2):810-815.

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Corneal Regeneration

Vision loss can occur when corneal epithelial cells are lost or are not replaced quickly enough. In data presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, Dr. David Harris demonstrated that cord blood stem cells can differentiate into these cells and form a cell sheet that is morphologically indistinguishable from corneal epithelial cells. When transplanted in animals, cord blood stem cells improved the appearance of the corneal surface. These results suggest that cord blood could provide a future therapeutic option for individuals with disorders of the ocular surface.

Reference: Harris DT, He X, Ahmad N, et al. The potential of cord blood stem cells for tissue engineering. Poster presented at: International Society for Stem Cell Research. June 2005; San Francisco, CA. Harris, D.T., X. He, M. Badowski and JC Nichols. Regenerative Medicine of the Eye: A Short Review. In Press, Regen. Med. May 2006 Harris DT, He X, Badowski M, Nicols JC. Regenerative Medicine of the Eye: A Short Review. Stem Cell Repair & Regeneration, Vol. 3, Levicar N, Habib NA, Dimarakis I, Gordon MY (Ed.s), Imperial College Press (2007), In press.

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Regenerative Therapies Worldwide

CBR collects donated cord blood samples for use in lab personnel training, quality control and research. We make these donated samples available, at no cost, to the academic and scientific institutions around the world that are focused on the development of therapies using cord blood stem cells. Our global approach to cord blood research and development helps to ensure that the best technology will continually be developed throughout the world and made available to CBR clients.

   Take a Virtual Tour of the CBR Lab

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