A second Netcells baby heads to the US for stem cell treatment

By Next Biosciences

12 July 2016

Our Netcells team is proud to announce that we have released a second unit of umbilical cord blood belonging to a three-year-old Netcells baby born with cerebral palsy. His unit has already arrived at Duke University in the United States awaiting his arrival later this month.

This treatment was pioneered by Professor Joanne Kurtzberg, who leads his medical team. She has completed a clinical trial which has demonstrated, that in some cases, an infusion of stem cells from umbilical cord blood can improve the functional abilities of children with cerebral palsy.

Before acceptance into Dr Kurtzberg’s programme, both our Netcells baby and his unit of cord blood had to undergo various assessments.

His unit had to comply with the quality standards set by the medical team and the federal regulations governing the transport, processing and administration of blood and blood products in the United States. We’re happy to report that we passed these assessments with flying colours, thanks to the stringent procedures followed by our laboratory staff every single day and our international accreditation through the AABB – the American Association of Blood Banks.

It has been a year since we released South Africa’s first cord blood unit. Since then, clinical trials and research in the field of regenerative medicine have continued to show extraordinary promise. You’ll find more information about clinical trials underway here.

Please join us in sending best wishes to our Netcells baby and his family for a safe trip to the US and successful treatment.