In a world first, the team at Monash Children’s Hospital has successfully collected and reinfused umbilical cord blood cells in extremely premature babies, offering hope for preventing brain injuries.
As reported by Robyn Riley in the Herald Sun, the ‘Cord-Safe Study’, undertaken in collaboration with Monash University and Hudson Institute of Medical Research, focused on infants born before 28 weeks’ gestation, so small they could fit in the palm of your hand.
‘It represents an exciting development in neonatal care,’ said Dr Lindsay Zhou, Neonatologist at Monash Children’s Hospital and lead author of the study.
‘For the first time, we’re exploring how a baby’s own cord blood cells might be used therapeutically in extremely preterm infants, offering a potential treatment option where previously there were limited alternatives.’
Published in the Lancet journal eBioMedicine, the breakthrough offers new possibilities for the more than 1,200 extremely preterm infants born in Australia each year.
Trial participant Billie was born at 24 weeks gestation at 620 grams and immediately had her umbilical cord blood collected at birth and returned at 10 days old as a possible natural shield to protect her from brain injury.
Billie spent 109 days in the NICU at Monash Children’s Hospital before making her way home with mum Rhianna and dad Sam. She is now three years old, a big sister to Chester, and meeting all her milestones.
‘I am a nurse, I’m all for research,’ said Billie’s mum, Rhianna.
‘Our babies had a chance because other parents had done clinical trials in the past.’
The project’s lead researcher, Associate Professor Atul Malhotra, said the breakthrough offered hope for parents and medical professionals dealing with the complex challenges of extremely premature birth, potentially changing the landscape of neonatal care for generations to come.