Background: Although cord blood (CB) stem cell research is being conducted for treatment of cerebral palsy (CP), little is known about children with CP and stored CB.
Aims: To compare demographic and clinical characteristics of children with CP and stored CB to children with CP identified in a population-based study.
Methods and procedures: The Longitudinal Umbilical Stem cell monitoring and Treatment REsearch (LUSTRE®) Registry recruited children from the largest US private CB bank. Demographics, co-morbidities, and gross motor function (GMFCS level and walking ability) were collected and, where possible, compared with the CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network.
Outcomes and results: 114 LUSTRE participants were compared to 451 ADDM participants. LUSTRE participants were more likely to be white, but sex distribution was similar. Co-morbidities (autism and epilepsy) and functional mobility were also similar.
Conclusions and implications: The results of this analysis suggest that while children diagnosed with CP and with access to stored CB differ from a broader population sample in terms of demographics, they have similar clinical severity and comorbidity profiles. As such, LUSTRE may serve as a valuable source of data for the characterization of individuals with CP, including individuals who have or will receive CB infusions.
Keywords: Cerebral palsy; Hematopoietic stem cells; Private cord blood bank; Regenerative medicine; Umbilical cord blood; Web-based research.
Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.