Researchers at UTHealth Houston have conducted a study examining the effects of bone marrow nuclear cell infusion in children with traumatic brain injuries, yielding positive results.
"Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of death and acquired disability around the world," says Linda Ewing-Cobbs, PhD at UTHealth Houston. She adds, "Our findings regarding clinical, neuroimaging, and functional outcomes give hope regarding the potential of cellular therapy to reduce chronic neurobehavioral problems and improve quality of life for children and adolescents."
The study, published in the Brain journal, involved forty-seven children aged between five and seventeen who had experienced traumatic brain injuries. The treatment involved extracting bone marrow mononuclear cells from the patients' bodies and applying them to the brain injuries. According to a news release from UTHealth Houston, this resulted in preserved white matter, reduced time spent in intensive care, and improved connectivity of the corpus callosum - which enhances communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Charles Cox Jr., MD, first author of the study explains: "The structural preservation of white matter was our primary outcome in this study. It’s important because it was an objective, quantitative, physical measurement as opposed to a psychological test." He further states that "Multiple studies by other researchers have shown that over one to two years’ time your brain loses up to fifteen percent of its white matter after severe traumatic brain injury. That cerebral atrophy – which correlates strongly with negative outcomes – is what we’re interrupting with this new treatment."
This research confirms previous evidence suggesting that bone marrow nuclear cell infusion can aid recovery from traumatic brain injury when administered within forty-eight hours post-injury. The researchers focused on studying its effects on children and were satisfied with the positive outcomes. The research was conducted in children's hospitals located in Phoenix, Arizona, and Houston, Texas.
In light of these promising Phase II clinical trial results, researchers are planning for Phase III. Ewing-Cobbs, a neuropsychologist with the Children’s Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston and senior author of the study, says: "Our findings are very encouraging as very few biological interventions have shown significant clinical benefit in improving the course of patients with severe traumatic brain injury."
