Government News
Umbilical cord blood stored in Shanghai used for autism treatment 2024-08-13
A 4-year-old boy with ASD receives his own umbilical cord blood on Tuesday.
Shanghai Cord Blood Bank is teaming up with pediatricians to explore a new application of umbilical cord blood for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in order to improve their symptoms.
The bank cooperated with the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University to give a 4-year-old autistic boy a transfusion of his own umbilical cord blood on Tuesday.
It is the bank's first such trial, while the hospital has experience in the practice.
The boy's parents said they found their son had slower development than children of the same age and took him to various hospitals.
He was diagnosed with ASD and growth hormone deficiency. Doctors at the Shandong hospital suggested a cord blood transfusion after learning the parents had stored the boy's own umbilical cord blood on delivery.
"There is clinical research on using umbilical cord blood to treat children with ADS both at home and abroad and many children have seen an improvement of symptoms. It is a meaningful trial. Our hospital has carried out such a practice in the past three years and some 70 autistic children have received cord blood transfusions and many have shown positive effects," said the hospital's Dr Yuan Xin.
Officials from Shanghai Cord Blood Bank said they received a request from the parents and immediately arranged for the cord blood to be transported from Shanghai to Shandong.
It is the first time the bank's stored umbilical cord blood has been used by a family to treat ASD. Previously, it was usually used to treat leukemia and immunity diseases, officials said.
The bank's Zhang Yi said the cooperation with Dr Yuan Xin's team was a good trial of umbilical cord blood application and would further enhance cooperation with medical experts and scientists to explore more clinical applications of cord blood to benefit patients.
ASD refers to a diverse group of conditions related to development of the brain and nerve system and is characterized by some degree of difficulty with social interaction and communication. The incidence is rising globally.
According to the World Health Organization, the incidence is 1 in every 100 children. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in 2023 that about 2.76 percent of US children aged 8 had been diagnosed with ASD.
Frozen umbilical cord blood (left) and the recovered cord blood ready for use (right).
Source: Shanghai Daily
Application Status
| 04-16 | 21315227 | Processing |
| 03-12 | 21315226 | Processing |
| 09-26 | 21315225 | Processing |
Inquiry Status
| 02-29 | 02131558 | Received |
| 03-06 | 02131557 | Received |
| 11-14 | 02131556 | Received |
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