Stem Cell Blog
Употребата на матичните клетки од папочна врвца рапидно се зголемува. Пред 10 години крвта од папочна врвца можеше да лекува околу 40 состојби, но денес таа бројка е над 80. Со нетрпение очекуваме нови терапии за болести и нарушувања како што се дијабет, аутизам и мозочен удар, можете да бидете во тек со најновите случувања во регенеративната медицина на нашиот блог за матични клетки.
Osteoarthritis, a chronic degenerative joint disease, affects millions of people worldwide and is a leading cause of disability.[1][2] Currently available treatments can offer relief from pain and other symptoms. However, they fail to address the root of the disease, as they cannot effectively restore the damaged joint.[3] A novel stem cell therapy based on cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (UCB-MSCs) is now emerging as a promising regenerative approach. The therapy, called Cartistem, has been shown to regenerate strong, elastic cartilage in the joint, rather than the fibrous, weaker cartilage created by an alternative treatment.[4]
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent form of arthritis, and primarily affects middle-aged and older adults. It involves the deterioration of the cartilage that protects the ends of bones within a joint. Because cartilage does not contain blood vessels, it has a limited ability to self-repair[5]; with continued deterioration, it disappears entirely, leading to damage and changes to the bones themselves. Symptoms include joint stiffness and pain, as well as reduced range of motion, and can increase over time. Eventually, they can become severe enough to make day-to-day activities more difficult.[1][6]
The risk of osteoarthritis increases with age, although there are other risk factors which can contribute. These include joint injuries, overuse of the joint in work or sports, obesity and genetics.[1] Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in the body, but most frequently appears in the hands, knees, hips and spine.[1] Knee osteoarthritis, in particular, often involves both knees. It can cause pain during walking, especially going uphill or downhill, as well as difficulty straightening the legs and a sensation of the knee “giving way”.[7]
Treatments for knee osteoarthritis
The current standard of care for knee osteoarthritis includes a range of treatments that aim to manage pain, reduce stiffness and improve range of motion. They include both surgical and non-surgical options.
Non-surgical treatment is typically tried at first. This includes pain medication as well as lifestyle changes, such as weight loss and exercise, and assistive devices, such as special footwear, braces, or walking aids.[8][9] If non-surgical treatments have not been effective or the patient’s daily life is seriously affected, doctors then look at surgical treatments. This could be an operation called an osteotomy, where a small section of bone on one side of the joint is removed to realign the joint and shift weight away from damaged parts of the cartilage.[10] Knee replacement, either partial or total, is also an option.[8][9]
Another possibility is a surgical treatment called microfracture or microdrilling. This treatment involves doctors making small holes into the surface of the bone where cartilage is absent. The holes cause blood and bone marrow to coat the surface of the bone, then forming into a clot. Thanks to the stem cells contained in blood and bone marrow, this clot eventually develops into a new layer of cartilage.[11] However, this new cartilage is not as strong as the original cartilage, and can break down more easily,[5][12] meaning any improvement is temporary.
A new therapeutic option
Cartistem is an off-the-shelf stem cell therapy developed in South Korea, where it has been approved for knee osteoarthritis treatment since 2012.[13] It consists of a combination of allogeneic UCB-MSCs and hyaluronic acid hydrogel. Applied to the area of damaged cartilage during surgery, the stem cells stimulate cartilage regeneration.[14]
Although Cartistem can be considered comparable to microdrilling in terms of the underlying process, a recent study has shown that this therapy can regenerate cartilage that is stronger and more resilient. The study, the results of which were recently presented at the 2025 annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, directly compared the results of Cartistem to those of microdrilling.[4]
According to researchers, Cartistem repaired a greater surface area than microdrilling, producing stronger cartilage which contained more collagen and had improved stiffness and elasticity. In contrast, microdrilling produced weaker, more fibrous cartilage, and in one out of five patients resulted in no cartilage regeneration at all.[14]
On the strength of the results from this and other studies, the FDA granted approval to proceed directly to a phase 3 clinical trial in the United States. A phase 3 trial is also underway in Japan.[4]
The regenerative power of cord blood stem cells
The strong potential of UCB-MSCs for the treatment of osteoarthritis is well-documented, with several recent studies highlighting their positive effects.[15][16][17]
Cartistem is a proprietary, off-the-shelf therapy, using allogeneic (donor) UCB-MSCs. However, as therapies are still being discovered and developed, it is entirely possible that a patient having access to their own cord blood stem cells could make the difference in terms of effectiveness. This could be the case not only for osteoarthritis, but for also for many other illnesses and diseases.
To discover more about cord blood stem cells, and how you could preserve them for your baby for potential future treatment, fill in the form below to request your free guide to cord blood banking.
References
[7] NHS (2019). Symptoms – Osteoarthritis. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/osteoarthritis/symptoms/
[8] NHS (2023). Treatment – Osteoarthritis. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/osteoarthritis/treatment/
[13] MEDIPOST. (2022). CARTISTEM®. https://en.medi-post.co.kr/cartistem/
A new study on cell therapy for cerebral palsy has, for the first time, directly compared the efficacy of two different treatments. Although more research is needed, the study’s results offer valuable insights for future clinical trials tackling this challenging disorder.
The challenges of cell therapy for cerebral palsy
Over the past two decades, cell therapy has emerged as a promising treatment for cerebral palsy. In particular, mononuclear cells from cord blood (UCB-MNCs) and mesenchymal stem cells from cord tissue (UCT-MSCs) have proven to be a safe and effective therapy. Many clinical trials have obtained results showing improvements in patients’ motor function through these cells’ anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and regenerative properties.
However, efforts to pinpoint the best treatment method have been stymied by significant variations in trial parameters. Differences from study to study can include the type and severity of cerebral palsy, the age of the patients, the cell type, dose and delivery method, whether the study is open-label or blinded, and even the methods and time periods used to monitor improvement. Consequently, no two studies are alike, and results cannot be directly compared.[1][2]
Study methods and goal
The new study, conducted in Iran, is a pooled analysis of the results of two studies, one on UCB-MNTs and one on UCT-MSCs. Both studies were conducted in the same research centre; moreover, to aid in the comparison, the research methodology and other variables were kept the same as much as possible.[3][4][5]
The study patients were aged 4-14 and had spastic cerebral palsy with white matter lesions. After eligibility screening, 108 patients were randomly assigned to the two treatment arms or a control group. Treatment was done via intrathecal (into the spinal fluid) injection, with the control group receiving a sham procedure instead. Researchers then assessed patients’ motor function, quality of life, disability and spasticity after 1, 3, 6 and 12 months.
Both individual studies were double-blinded. Furthermore, all statistical analysis, both for individual studies and for the final pooled comparison, was performed by a blinded statistician.
The individual studies aimed to confirm that UCB-MNCs and UCT-MSCs are a safe and effective treatment for cerebral palsy. Following that, the pooled study analysis compared the effects of the UCB-MNC treatment to those of the UCT-MSC treatment across the study period.
Study results
Both the UCB-MNC treatment and the UCT-MSC treatment reported positive results over time when compared to the control group. Patients in both groups showed improvement in gross motor function and quality of life, as well as reduction in disability and spasticity.[4][5]
Figure 1. A comparison graph of the two different treatment groups and the control group.[3]
As the figure above shows, researchers found that the UCB-MNC treatment group showed stronger improvements in motor function early on. However, both the UCB-MNC and UCT-MSC groups achieved the same level of improvement at 6 months post treatment. At twelve months after treatment, there was some gradual deterioration of the improvements; however, researchers noted that UCT-MSCs did seem to result in more sustainable changes, with patients seeing less deterioration compared to the UCB-MNC group.[3]
Due to this deterioration, researchers posit that repeated doses at regular intervals may be the best route to continued improvement.[1] They also suggest that future trials should investigate treatments combining both UCB-MNCs and UCT-MSCs, as it may prove more effective than individual ones.[3]
The future of medicine
Researchers stress that this study is only a start, and further comparative trials and research are needed. Although both UCB-MNCs and UCT-MSCs offer positive results, there is still no certainty on which cell type and source will prove most effective treatment. This is true not only for cerebral palsy, but also for other illnesses and diseases for which an effective treatment is still being sought.
This uncertainty highlights the importance of comprehensive stem cell banking. By storing as many stem cell sources as possible, you could equip your baby and family with the broadest range of options for future regenerative therapies.
To find out how you could preserve both cord blood and tissue, along with amnion and placenta, for your baby’s potential future use, fill in the form below to request your free guide.
References
24/08/2025 BlogNewsUses for Placenta
After an acid attack that “melted” his left eye, Paul Laskey thought he would lose his sight entirely. Now, a series of amnion grafts from a donated placenta has saved his eye, stabilising it and preventing further damage.[1]
A long road to recovery
Mr Laskey, from Newcastle, had acid squirted over his face after confronting a mugger, in February 2023. After he was rushed to hospital, doctors found that the chemical burn had, in effect, “melted” his left eye. The inner and outer layers of his cornea both suffered severe damage; the burn had caused limbal stem cell failure and severe neurotrophic keratopathy. In other words, the eye couldn’t repair or regenerate the cells within the cornea. Furthermore, the eye nerves didn’t work correctly.[2]
Doctors feared Mr Laskey would lose his eye entirely. First, they began by cleaning the eye, removing any remnants of the acid that might have still been there.[3] Then, over the following eight months, Mr Laskey underwent several surgeries, including two cornea transplants.
He also received three amnion grafts to stabilise his eye and help it heal, stopping his sight from deteriorating further. The first graft was a week after the attack, and the last more than a year later, in June 2024.[4]
Amnion grafts and eye injury
Amnion grafts are made from placenta – more specifically, from the amniotic membrane, the thin membrane on the inner side of the placenta which forms the amniotic sac. The amnion has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring properties.[5]
Mothers who deliver via elective C-section at specific hospitals can choose to donate their placenta to NHS Blood & Transplant.[6] Scientists then use these to create specialised tissue grafts – between 50 and 100 from each donated placenta. These grafts are used to treat eye injuries, as well as burns and wounds.[3]
Ophthalmologist prof. Francisco Figueredo, who treated Mr Laskey, said that amnion grafts have been essential in helping the management of his severe eye burn.[3] Having saved his eye and preserved the vision he still has, doctors are now hoping to restore more of his eyesight through stem cell treatment.[1]
The future of placental therapy
Paul Laskey’s story unquestionably highlights the remarkable potential of the placenta and amnion. In addition to treatment for eye injuries, amnion grafts have also helped to save limbs from amputation and aided in facial reconstruction.
Although the regenerative properties of the amniotic membrane have been known for some time, research continues to explore the possible uses of the placenta and its components. Undoubtedly, only time will tell what other potentially life-saving treatments it could be used for.
Amnion patches, for instance, have been used to treat patients with inflammatory heart conditions[7]. Researchers have also used mesenchymal stem cells from the amniotic membrane to 3D print muscles, bone fragments, and even ears[8]. The placenta itself is also rich in mesenchymal stem cells, which are being studied to treat illnesses ranging from Crohn’s disease[9] to osteoarthritis[10].
To learn more about the potential uses of the placenta and other birth tissues, and how you could preserve them for your baby and family’s use in years to come, fill in the form below to receive your free guide.
References
A recent study has found that a stem cell therapy could reduce epileptic symptoms after stroke and help the brain recover. The study was performed at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease in California, USA, using a rat model of stroke.
Stroke basics
A stroke is a medical condition which causes the death of cells in the brain. This, in turn, stops the brain from working properly. There are two main types of stroke: haemorrhagic, caused by bleeding in the brain, and ischemic, caused by the blockage of a blood vessel. Ischemic stroke is by far the most common, accounting for just under 90% of strokes.[1]
Stroke is the second leading cause of death and one of the major causes of disability worldwide.[2] In the UK, it is the single biggest cause of severe disability, causing a range greater than any other condition, including movement issues, visual problems, and speech difficulties.[3]
The goal of the study
The stem cell therapy tested in the study is based on mesenchymal stem cells derived from donor bone marrow. It has already been successful in clinical trials for improving chronic paralysis after traumatic brain injury[4][5]; this led to its approval as a treatment for this issue in Japan[6].
Now, researchers are hoping it could also help reverse brain damage caused by stroke. In particular, they are focusing on brain hyperexcitability, which is a flawed response in the brain that develops in some people after they have had a stroke.
What is brain hyperexcitability?
Put simply, brain hyperexcitability is an increased chance for neurons to activate in response to a specific stimulus. In the case of stroke, this flawed response develops in the brain as it tries to make up for lost functions.
These overly active neurons send out signals that are too frequent or too strong to other regions of the brain. This, in turn, causes serious issues. Brain hyperexcitability can make it difficult to control muscles (spasticity) and can lead to seizures.[7] This means stroke is a leading cause of acquired epilepsy,[8] particularly in people over the age of 35.[9]
Unfortunately, brain hyperexcitability remains not well understood, and there is no treatment available to prevent it[7]. Post-stroke seizures and epilepsy are simply managed, as and when needed, with anti-epileptic drugs.[10]
Study process and findings
Researchers tested the stem cell therapy in a rat model of stroke. A month after rats had a stroke, modified human stem cells were injected into their brains, near the damaged area.
The team then measured electrical activity in the brain to determine the effectiveness of the therapy. Furthermore, they also analysed the structure of the brain and blood cells in detail, so they could study the changes wrought by the stroke and by the therapy.
They found that the stroke had caused hyperexcitability in the rats’ brains. The stem cell therapy, however, had reversed this, returning the brain to normal function. Furthermore, a number of proteins and cells that are important for brain function had also increased.
Additionally, by comparing rats which had received the therapy to control rats, researchers identified molecules in the blood that had changed after the stroke. They further saw that these same molecules were restored to normal by the therapy. Additional analysis found that a week after the transplant, few stem cells remained in the rats’ brain; however, the effects were long-lasting.
Hope for future treatment
This therapy is in the very early stages of research; it remains to be determined whether the reversal of brain hyperexcitability would lead to a reduction of symptoms in actual patients.
Still, studies like these highlight the tremendous regenerative potential of stem cells, and the hope they can offer for the treatment of illnesses and injuries that today are considered incurable.
Today, stroke occurs more than 100,000 times per year in the UK – about once every five minutes. Advances in immediate treatment have meant that the number of patients dying from stroke continues to decrease. Unfortunately, however, rehabilitation hasn’t kept pace, and the number of people living with severe disabilities after stroke continues to increase.[3]
Stem cell therapies for post-stroke disability could prove to be truly lifechanging.
Some of the most potent stem cells that could be used in regenerative therapy come your baby’s umbilical cord and placenta. Both of these are normally thrown away at birth – but they could instead be stored for your baby’s future use. If you want to find out more about this rich source of stem cells, and learn how you could preserve it, fill out the form below to download our free parent’s guide.
References
Scientists have shown that muscle patches grown from stem cells can be used to strengthen and help repair a failing heart. In a breakthrough clinical trial, ten patches containing 400 million cells were implanted on the heart of a 46-year-old woman who was suffering from heart failure. The results, along with results from earlier studies which tested the same procedure in monkeys, have been published in Nature. [1]
What is heart failure?
Heart failure is when the heart is too weak or stiff and, as a result, cannot pump blood around the body as well as it should. It can have a variety of causes, from heart disease and heart attacks to high blood pressure and inflammation.[2][3]
Heart failure is a long-term condition which gradually gets worse over time. Currently, it is considered an incurable condition; it can only be treated to keep the symptoms under control with medication and, sometimes, surgery. In severe cases of heart failure, a heart transplant may be necessary. However, there is a shortage of hearts for transplantation, so patients may have to wait several years before one becomes available.[4]
Development of the therapy
The team of researchers, led by Prof. Zimmermann from University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany, coaxed stem cells to grow into heart muscle and connective tissue cells. They then mixed these cells with collagen gel to create patches which could be applied to the outside surface of the heart using a minimally invasive surgery.
After initial studies in vitro and in small animal models of heart failure confirmed the treatment had potential, the patches were first tested in monkeys. The team implanted the patches into six rhesus macaques with heart failure. Three of the monkeys received two patches, while the other three received five. These monkeys were also all treated with immunosuppressive drugs. A second group of seven monkeys remained untreated as a control.
The implanted cells remained smaller than the monkeys’ own heart muscle cells. However, the patches led to an improvement in heart function compared to the control monkeys, thickening the heart’s muscle and increasing its pumping power.[5]
First in-human trial
The success of the trial in monkeys led to the approval of a first-in-human phase 1/2 trial, called BioVAT-HF, which began in 2021 and is currently ongoing.[6][7][8]
The trial has so far recruited 19 patients. The first of these, a 46-year-old woman, had severe heart failure and was waiting for a heart transplant.[1] The researcher team implanted the muscle patches on her heart; she also received immunosuppressive drugs of the same type normally used for transplants. Three months later, the patient was lucky enough to be the recipient of a successful heart transplant.
Upon analysis of her old heart, scientists found that the implanted patches had survived and had formed blood vessels. In other words, they had integrated with the heart without any side effects.
The therapy is still in the early stages of research, and Zimmermann is very clear that it is not yet a replacement for a heart transplant. Rather, it is a supportive treatment for patients in advanced stages of heart failure, who are waiting for a transplant and are under palliative care.
Still, these are incredibly exciting results, which could prove to be a game-changer for the treatment of heart failure. The research team is continuing the clinical trial. In addition, they are testing new patch designs in monkeys in hopes of minimising the need for immunosuppressive drugs.
Stem cells: the future of medicine
This study is one more example of how stem cells are shaping research through their applications in regenerative medicine.
The stem cells used in this particular clinical trial are allogeneic (donor) induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). When receiving a donor transplant, there is always a risk of rejection, hence the need for immunosuppressive drugs.
Your baby’s umbilical cord is a rich source of stem cells, among the most naïve and potent your baby will ever have. They could be used for similar therapies in the future, should your baby need them. What’s more, they could be used without risk of rejection: they are your baby’s own cells, their own perfect genetic match.
You only get one opportunity to collect and store these cells: in the 15 minutes after your baby is born. To find out more about how you can preserve this precious resource, fill in the form below to request your free guide to cord blood banking.
References
[2] NHS (2022). Heart failure. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-failure/
[4] NHS (2022). Treatment – Heart Failure. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-failure/treatment/
[8] Dzhk.de. (2025). DZHK-Studie BioVAT-HF-DZHK20. https://biovat.dzhk.de
After two planned transplants from unrelated donors fell through at the very last minute, Australian three-year-old Tommy Bacon is now in remission from a rare, dangerous form of leukaemia following a transplant of the stem cells from his baby sister’s cord blood.[1]
Tommy’s story
Tommy fell ill not long after his parents discovered they were expecting a second child – a baby girl. When he first started showing signs of illness, his parents and their doctor were not immediately alarmed. They assumed it was just a case of the usual germs picked up at daycare, which he had recently begun attending.
After he developed tonsillitis during a family trip to the UK in May 2023, however, his parents took him to the hospital and insisted he should be admitted. Tests eventually revealed that he had leukaemia. More specifically, he had a form of the disease called juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML). What’s worse, he had one of the most high-risk, aggressive variants.
JMML is incredibly rare, with only 1-2 children out of one million being diagnosed with it every year[2]. A stem cell transplant is the only curative treatment option. Without a transplant, however, a child with an aggressive variant of JMML could survive for less than a year.[3]
The search for a donor
Australia’s donor registry had no donor compatible with Tommy, so his parents started a donor drive. Eventually, an international donor was found. Unfortunately, however, the donor pulled out of the donation process a week before Tommy was due to start his pre-transplant chemotherapy.
By then, Tommy’s baby sister’s due date was fast approaching, and his parents booked a date for the induction. On the day they were going into hospital, a phone call came that a second donor had been found for Tommy. Still, they decided to have their baby girl’s cord blood collected and stored with an Australian cord blood bank, just in case – although they knew it wasn’t guaranteed that she would be a match for Tommy.
Not long after baby Aria’s birth, the second donor, too, pulled out. The family was heartbroken.
A search for a third donor got underway, but Tommy didn’t have long. Because of this, a decision was made to prepare Tommy’s dad as a half-matched (haploidentical) donor. Such a transplant would not have been ideal, since haploidentical transplant recipients are at higher risk of developing post-transplant complications[4]. Absent a perfect match, though, this was Tommy’s last hope.
Then, the cord blood bank called: they had tested Aria’s cord blood, and she was a perfect match for Tommy.
Within a few weeks, Tommy received his transplant. Four months later, he was in remission.
The importance of family cord blood banking
Tommy’s story highlights the importance of family stem cell banking. By choosing to bank your baby’s cord blood stem cells, they will always be ready and waiting should your baby, or another family member, need them.
Their cord blood stem cells are guaranteed to be their own perfect genetic match. There is also a 25% chance they will be a perfect match for a sibling, and a 50% chance of a partial match. Moreover, they are always a partial match for both parents. This is why it can be so important to bank cord blood for every baby in the family, rather than just one.
Stem cells are being heavily investigated in the field of regenerative medicine to treat a wide variety of illnesses and injuries that are currently considered incurable. There are over 7500 clinical trials currently investigating both autologous (a patient’s own stem cells) and allogeneic (donor stem cells) uses of stem cells, in the hopes of developing new therapies.
These therapies aim to take advantage of the regenerative qualities of stem cells to aid in healing injuries such as spinal cord damage, heart disease, brain injury, arthritis and type 1 diabetes.
By saving your baby’s cord blood stem cells, you can give your baby and family a better chance of accessing these therapies, should they need one in the future.
“I would strongly recommend that if you’re thinking about getting cord blood collected, do it!” says Tommy’s mum, Kylie. “If it can change a life in such a huge way, why would you not?”[5]
To find out more about how cord blood banking works, and how it could safeguard your family’s health, fill in the form below to request a free welcome pack.
References
A 25-year-old woman from China is the first in the world to have been cured from type 1 diabetes, following an injection of islet cells derived from her own reprogrammed stem cells.
The study, published in the Cell journal, offers real hope to the millions of people worldwide suffering from this disease.
What is type 1 diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that causes the body’s own immune system to mistakenly attack and destroy insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.[1]
Insulin is a hormone which moves glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into cells, where it is used for energy, and also helps store any extra glucose.[2]
Without insulin, glucose instead accumulates in the blood, causing a host of severe complications including vision loss, nerve damage, kidney failure, and non-healing ulcers that lead to lower limb amputations.[3]
This means people suffering from type 1 diabetes are dependent on external sources of insulin (through injections or a pump), and have to track and manage their blood sugar levels carefully.
How was the cure developed?
A team at Peking University, Beijing, China, extracted cells from three patients with type 1 diabetes and reverted them to a pluripotent state, from which they could be converted to different cell types in the body. These induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) were then used to generate clusters of islet cells, which would then be transplanted back into the patients.
Two and a half months later, the first patient to receive the transplant was producing enough insulin to no longer need external injections; she has remained insulin independent since, for more than a year.
Deng Hongkui, the lead scientist in the study, states the results for the other two patients in the study are also very positive. Those patients would have reached the one-year mark in November; it is hoped that when the results are published the trial could be expanded to more patients.[4]
Why is this trial important?
Islet cell transplantation can be an effective treatment for diabetes. In the past, this has relied on islet cells collected from organ donors, which are not sufficient to meet growing demand and require transplant recipients to use immune-suppressant medication to prevent transplant rejection.
A novel therapy developed by Vertex, currently undergoing clinical trials, aims to solve that issue by deriving islet cells from stem cells; however, this therapy also uses donated stem cells as a source, and thus requires the use of immune-suppressant medication.
It is hoped that the use of autologous (own) stem cells will remove the need for this medication. Since the patient studied was already on immune-suppressants due to a liver transplant, this is not a certainty; because type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition, there is still a risk that the immune system could attack the newly-transplanted islets regardless. However, Deng and his team aim to develop islet cells that can entirely evade the immune response.
The importance of banking stem cells
Although further study is required to evaluate the effectiveness of this therapy, breakthroughs like this highlight the potential of stem cells in the development of treatments for life-altering, chronic conditions such as type 1 diabetes.
By banking your baby’s cord stem cells, you can make sure they can be used for regenerative therapies like this, should your baby them in the future. To find out more about saving these powerful cells for your baby, download your free Welcome Pack by filling in the form below.
References
24/08/2025 BlogNewsUses for Placenta
After a nick caused by a small shard of glass went unnoticed, Canadian Ron Williams developed a deep, infected wound spanning from the heel to the middle of his foot.
Even after six months of hospital treatment, the wound wouldn’t heal; if the infection had persisted, his leg would have needed to be amputated.
Now, thanks to a pioneering wound-care program involving the application of amniotic membrane from donated placentas, there is barely a scar left[1].
What is the amniotic membrane?
The amniotic membrane, also known as the amnion, is the inner layer of the amniotic sac, which holds the amniotic fluid and protects baby as they grow and develop during pregnancy.
Although it is normally discarded as waste after birth, along with the placenta and the rest of the amniotic sac, the amnion has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-scarring properties[2]; its wound-healing powers were first documented over 100 years ago[1]. It is used in a variety of medical specialisations, including ophthalmology (eye care), wound and burn care, gynaecology and surgery[3]; research suggests it could have properties stimulating tissue regeneration, showing potential for use in regenerative medicine[2].
What does the wound healing treatment entail?
A layer of amnion is applied to the wound, then dressed and left undisturbed; the procedure is repeated once a week until the wound has completely healed. In Mr Williams’ case, the wound healed almost 60% in the first week, and fully closed after five.
Dr Balram Sukhu, director of Mount Sinai Allograft Technologies, which runs the amniotic membrane program at Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto, Canada, says treatment has been provided to more than 80 patients, and has resulted in wound closure in all cases.[1]
Why is this kind of treatment not more widely used?
Dr Mark Jeschke, medical director of the burn program at Hamilton Health Sciences, a hospital network in Canada, says the challenges in bringing this treatment to wider availability lie in the process required to obtain amnion grafts[1]. In Canada, amnion grafts are made from placentas donated by mothers undergoing elective C-section; this is also the case in the UK, where only two hospitals are set up to take donations[4]. While NHS Blood and Transplant provides amniotic membrane grafts for ophthalmic surgery[5], amnion dressings for chronic wound treatment could be harder to come by, and can be pricy, with a NICE document estimating the cost at around £1,000 for a 2x3cm graft[6].
Can you save your placenta?
The alternative to placenta donation is private placenta storage, meaning your placenta, including the amnion, is stored in a private bank so that it can be available for you or your child’s future use, should it be needed.
This is typically done as part of cord blood banking, storing the powerful stem cells from your baby’s cord blood along with cord tissue and the placenta. These cells and tissues are being investigated in numerous clinical trials for their potential in treating a wide variety of injuries and diseases.
If you’d like to find out more about private banking for your baby, fill in the form below to receive your free welcome pack, full of all the details you need to make an informed decision.
References
A new study on the effectiveness of treatment for spinal cord injuries indicates that a combination therapy, including epidural electrical stimulation (EES) as well as neural stem cells and umbilical cord stem cells, could offer better results than any one treatment on its own.
What is spinal cord injury?
Spinal cord injury is a debilitating, disabling neurological condition resulting from damage to the spinal cord, or to the nerves at the end of the spinal canal. This is most frequently caused by traumatic occurrences such as vehicle accidents, falls, sport injuries or violence, but may also be caused by tumours, infections or degenerative conditions.
Spinal cord injury causes partial or complete loss of sensation and function below the level of the injury, commonly resulting in paralysis (paraplegia or quadriplegia), loss of bladder and bowel control, and breathing issues.[1]
What therapies are currently available?
At present, there are no known therapies that would reverse the initial injury and return an injured spinal cord to full function.[2] Current treatments for spinal cord injury focus on limiting what is called the secondary injury cascade, ideally preventing further damage and thus further loss of feeling and motor function.[3] These methods include surgery, medication, physical therapy and rehabilitation, and assistive devices such as braces or wheelchairs.
What is epidural electrical stimulation for spinal cord injury?
In epidural electrical stimulation, an array of electrodes is implanted along the spinal cord through a surgical procedure called a laminectomy. The stimulation provided by the electrical pulses generated by these electrodes could help in the recovery of functionality following spinal cord injury, improving patients’ ability to walk and stand as well as aiding with bladder and bowel control.[3] [4]
How could stem cells help?
By leveraging the regenerative properties of stem cells, it is hoped that a stem cell treatment could repair and regenerate damaged spinal cord tissue.
This could mean protecting what neurons remain intact, repairing the protective myelin sheath on damaged ones, thus restoring their ability to conduct nerve signals, and replacing lost ones. Stem cells also have the ability to modulate the body’s immune response, and could reduce inflammation and mitigate the secondary damage that follows the initial injury.[5]
There are currently several clinical trials studying the application of stem cells for spinal cord injury. Although more research is needed, results so far are promising, including the high-profile case study of a man who has regained the ability to walk.[6]
What has the new study found?
Researchers at Xi’an Jiaotong University, China, set out to test the effectiveness of a therapy combining both epidural electrical stimulation and stem cell injections, using a mouse model of spinal cord injury.[7]
The study involved four different groups of mice: a group which was treated with EES alone, a group which was treated with a mix of mouse neural stem cells (NSCs) as well as human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs), a group which received both treatments and a control group in which the spinal cord injury was left untreated. The mice in all groups were monitored and assessed for a period of two months.
Following the injury, all mice had complete loss of function in their hind limbs; a week post-injury, mice in the treatment groups underwent their respective treatments. At the end of the monitoring period, mice in the control group were still unable to support themselves on their hind limbs. Conversely, some mice in the EES group were able to achieve paw standing; mice in the hUCMSC group also achieved this milestone, in a more frequent and sustained manner. Mice in the combined treatment group not only achieved paw standing, but also showed improved motor coordination. Swimming and gait analysis tests corroborated these findings, with the hUCMSC group doing better than the EES group, both doing better than the control and the combined treatment group doing best of all.
What’s next?
Both EES and stem cell transplants are currently the subject of clinical trials to test their effectiveness in the treatment of spinal cord injury. As the new study shows, it is entirely possible that the best treatment will be a combination of both, but more research is required on each individual treatment before the combination therapy can be tested in humans.
What is undeniable is that the number of studies and clinical trials examining the regenerative power of stem cells and their potential for treating currently incurable diseases and injuries continues to grow.
To find out more about what stem cells could do, and how you could preserve a rich source of them for your baby so that they could gain access to future regenerative treatments, fill in the form below to request your free welcome pack.
References
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