Stem Cell Treatment

Stem cell treatment is where cells originally from the person themselves, or provided by a donor, are turned into a cell which can then replace damaged specialized cells, such as those in the brain. In cerebral palsy, the oligodendrocytes, or supportive cells, may be damaged and their main role is to assist in the transmission of electrical messages along another type of brain cell called neurons.  Where there has been damage to neurons and oligodendrocytes, the messages cannot be sent and so the brain cannot fully coordinate the way the body moves. Stem cell treatment may potentially replace these damaged cells and improve the environment in which they function.

In animal studies, neural stem cells, which are stem cells that can become neurons or oligodendrocytes, have been shown to improve the movement of mice who have damaged nervous systems.  This may be because the treatment improves the environment in which the brain cells exist or through replacing lost oligodendrocytes. There is research looking at stem cell treatment in humans with a hope that it will improve the degree of control those with cerebral palsy have over their own body.

Stem cell treatment is still in its experimental stages. There are limited studies which have been published. In one study children, those who received stem cell treatment, did have improvements in both the degree of control over their movement as well as their cognitive function.

As stem cell therapy is not an established treatment, the effects on the human body are not well understood. There are concerns that certain types of stem cells could grow in an unlimited fashion and so form tumours. There is research underway to see if this risk can be reduced or eliminated.

Currently, stem cell therapy is only being used in a small number of clinical trials and it may be many years before it is more widely available. More information on current research is available from Canchild at this link.