This resource from the website Pediatrics, evaluates the safety and efficacy of UCB therapy for improving gross motor function in children with CP, and explores cell dose–response relationships and factors associated with treatment responsiveness.

Several cell-based therapies are under investigation for the treatment of cerebral palsy (CP), including umbilical cord blood (UCB) cells, bone marrow cells, mesenchymal stem/stromal cells, and neural stem cells. Among these, UCB has been the most extensively studied, with clinical trials spanning nearly two decades. UCB contains multiple cell types, haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, mesenchymal stem/stromal cells, endothelial progenitor cells, monocyte-derived cells, and T-regulatory cells, that may contribute to brain repair.

In preclinical models of perinatal brain injury and CP, UCB therapy has been shown to reduce infarct size, astrogliosis, microglial activation, and neuroinflammation, while increasing neuronal and oligodendrocyte counts and improving motor outcomes. This study, published in Pediatrics, evaluates the safety and efficacy of UCB therapy for improving gross motor function in children with CP, and explores cell dose–response relationships and factors associated with treatment responsiveness.