The new advancements in the use of placenta derived stem cells, presented at the 8^th Annual International Symposium for Cord Blood Transplantations, are impressive.  The symposium took place between the 3^rd and the 5^th of June in San Francisco, USA and was supported by the United States Ministry of Health.

The presentations focused on the autologous uses in the Regenerative Medicine field and the improvement of methods for the search of better histocopatible transplants for allogeneic uses in hematological diseases.

The Scientific Director of Biohellenika, Dr. K. Kouzi –Koliakou, attended the symposium and presented a study that refers to a special method of acquiring stem cells from the placenta, method that provides a large number of hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells, suitable for adults’ treatment.

The storage benefits of placenta derived stem cells are widely known and accepted in every society. Successful applications rely on the administration of high quality stem cell samples.

Placenta blood, apart from primary hematopoietic cells, contains pluripotent cells that can be transformed into cells of other tissues, with special attention to neurons. For this reason in Duke University stem cells derived from placenta blood are successfully administered to children with cerebral palsy and traumatic injury of the brain.

Cerebral palsy may occur due to prematurity of the infant, low endouterus   oxygenation and perinatal hypoxia. For these uses only the child’s own stem cells are used.

Many children have benefited from this therapy that is performed during the first months of the child’s life, when there are signs of cerebral palsy, or during the fist years when the condition is verified clinically.

International studies use placenta derived stem cells for the therapy of spinal cord injuries and stroke.

The presentation of patients with severe stroke that had total recovery and were able a year after inter cerebral administration of placenta derived stem cells, to go back to their normal lives, was spectacular.

Presentations of gene therapy of stem cells in cases of sickle cell anemia and thalassemias that aimed to their re-administration to patients, was also very impressive.

Already many patients suffering from inherited hemoglopathies in USA and Japan, 16 years old and more, have been cured by gene therapy of their own stem cells and have stopped blood transfusions.

Efforts are made in order younger children to take part in this study, in order to prevent side effects from long term transfusions.

Today, two grafts of histocompatible placenta blood derived stem cells are used for the treatment of adult patients suffering from leukemia and the reason for this, is to ensure a large number of cells, adequate for the weight of the adult patient.

In allogeneic transplantations, it is very important to prevent the rejection of the graft.  For this reason the efficiency of public banks relies on the finding and administration of the best possible histocompatible grafts. Public banks target their research towards the finding of new antigens of histocompatibility that will allow the recognition of the best compatible grafts, minimizing the possibilities of rejection.

New scientific data open a new era in autologous stem cell therapies of Regenerative Medicine and for this reason classical hematologists in USA, pioneers in allogeneic transplantations and basic research scientists, participates in international private family cord blood stem cells banks.