C. Michael Cotton, associate professor of pediatrics at Duke University, did a feasibility study using stem cells from babies' cord blood to help repair their injured brains.
It is very common for babies to get brain damage during labor due to minimal blood flow and oxygen to the brain. This brain injury is called hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which is identified by significant evidence of brain damage caused by asphyxiation.
It is normally treated by cooling the entire body, reducing the chances of a baby having complications by up to 35 percent. C. Michael Cotton worked on the feasibility study to further reduce the chances that infants will suffer complications.
Cotton had started working on this study in 2009 when he received the necessary funding from a pilot DTRI price. His team collected 23 babies with HIE in a Phase I trial
Since the first feasibility study was quite small, Cotton is currently working on the development of a randomized trial attempting to register 400 newborns. It also works with other health experts to accelerate the process.
Cotton believes that the tests are very important to help improve the therapy provided by numerous related health care networks. The goal is to make all groups work together and be fully engaged in order to succeed in improving the lives of children.
Once a working relationship is established between networks, Cotton believes ideas and theories will be translated quickly into practical treatment options for patients.
More details on cotton work are available by following the link here.