There may be good news for the estimated 10,000 babies born each year in the United States with an increased risk for a neurological disability.
A new program provides free storage of newborn stem cells-derived from a baby's umbilical cord blood right after birth-for children who have a low score on a test commonly used to measure a newborn's immediate condition.
The assessment, called the Apgar test, is routinely used worldwide. A very low score is associated with an increased risk for a neurological disability.
Doctors have used newborn stem cells to treat more than 70 diseases, such as leukemia and serious blood disorders, and scientists say they are beginning to see the potential newborn stem cells may offer in treating neurological damage.
Launched recently by Cord Blood Registry (CBR)-the world's largest family newborn stem cell bank-the program is designed to provide a baby's own newborn stem cells for regenerative medical treatments.
"It is impossible to predict outcomes in babies born at risk for neurological injury," said Robert Sears, M.D., a noted author, pediatrician and CBR medical advisor. "However, we can collect newborn stem cells from the umbilical cord immediately following the birth, and if a disability becomes evident, parents and doctors can use the cells to try to repair the damaged brain tissue."
Qualifying children born with a low Apgar score will be accepted into the program and all expectant parents in the continental United States are eligible to enroll. Parents incur no cost for the child's first four years, a critical age at which physicians are typically able to determine if a toddler has a neurological deficit that may be improved with stem cell therapy.
"You can never predict what's going to happen," said Cathy Pell, mother of Abby Pell, a 22-month- old diagnosed with an anoxic brain injury. "Our fifth child had a complication that couldn't be detected or prevented prior to birth, but because we stored her cord blood, we were able to provide our daughter with the option of stem cell therapy. Before, she wasn't tracking objects with her eyes or even sitting up, and now she is. We have hope."
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For more information, visit newbornpossibilities.com or call 1-888-CORD-BLOOD.
A new program provides free storage of newborn stem cells for children so they can be used in medical treatment at a later date.
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