There is no standard therapy in children with cerebral palsy since each patient is unique. The physical condition of a child can be improved and developed, but this takes place at a different pace. It is difficult to distinguish between natural progress and possible advances in treatment. To date, treatment has been limited to rehabilitation and prevention of complications, while prevention and prediction of the degree and prognosis of a child's condition is difficult to perform.
Since recently, umbilical cord blood stem cell therapy has begun (Luis Madero MD at the hospital "Niño Jesús de Madrid", since it is believed that immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and regenerative mechanisms of stem cells from the umbilical cord blood can improve the state of health in these patients. Although preliminary findings are positive, they require enhanced clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of therapy.
What are the possibilities and perspectives of wider use of this therapy in children with cerebral palsy?
I would suggest you that Bone Marrow Mononuclear cell are a better approach, targeting directly the macrophage component of the disease, eliciting the regulatory response...
Thank you for the proposal, dear Menarim, but ...Various forms of cerebral palsy (CP) treatment may include one or more of the following: physical therapy; occupational therapy; speech therapy; water therapy; drugs to control seizures, alleviate pain, or relax muscle spasms, surgery to correct anatomical abnormalities or release tight muscles, braces and other orthotic devices, rolling walkers, and communication aids such as computers with attached voice synthesisers. Many of the therapies used to treat CP have no good evidence base. The treatments with the best evidence are medications (anticonvulsants,botulinum toxin, bisphosphonates, diazepam), therapy (bimanual training, casting, constraint-induced movement therapy, context-focused therapy, fitness training, goal-directed training, hip surveillance, home programmes, occupational therapy after botulinum toxin, pressure care) and surgery (selective dorsal rhizotomy).
The question I raised was prompted by the information that Dr. Luis Madero at the "Niño Jesús de Madrid" hospital, on December 10, 2016, successfully applied a therapeutic infusion of stem cells collected from his own umbilical blood to a four-year-old girl suffering from cerebral palsy. Although this therapy is still at an early stage of testing, regenerative stem cell regeneration is believed to be a therapeutic option for regenerating nerve tissue and brain damage - says Dr. Luis Madero. It would be useful to include in the discussion everyone who has experience with this very specific and demanding therapy.
My point was... Culture expanded stem cell therapy raises questions about aproval and efficiency of their miraculous powers... but beyond that.... MSCs mostly drive immunomodulatory functions in the affected tissues, including the nervous system. Up to date, most uncovered immunomodulatory effects closely relate to resident macrophage function. BMNC contain stem cells, and are 50% macrophage progenitors M2 biased and therefore can provide regulatory effects to the affected tissue. Young patients are benefited of their bodies ability to self repair, augmented by some cell therapies, as shown in mouse models, were youngsters had a remrkable macrophage influx to the injury area, and a substantially superior tissue "regeneration".
Cell therapy wise, I believe BMNC is a more complete therapy, shown to provide benefits in cerebral palsy. There is no question about the need of a combination of therapeutic approaches.
Best
I am very grateful to you, respected Menarim, for additional information and confirm convincingly useful BMNC therapies for cerebral palsy.