Evidence of Autism ‘Cure’ with Stem Cells

One patient’s story that has made headlines in recent years is that of Patricia Cabrera, a young girl who underwent stem cell therapy for autism and apparently made miraculous progress afterwards. The doctor treating Cabrera used injections of CD34+ stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells at a clinic in Costa Rica but has himself stressed the need for formal randomized trails using a placebo-control and which are double-blinded. Dr. Fabio Solano has also noted that any such trials would need a lengthy follow-up period to allow for long-term responses to be observed. The patient he treated in November 2006, the little girl mentioned above, has provided him with the opportunity for lengthy follow-up observation after her initial three stem cell treatments.

Progress in Autistic Girl’s Condition

Improvements in verbal ability and her movement back to mainstream education has given Dr. Solano considerable encouragement for trying to initiate formal trials into stem cells for autism although he admits that such a turnaround is unlikely to be representative of the response in all autistic patients. It is also worth bearing in mind that those patients speaking out about their treatment are likely to be those having had positive results, with patients having no effect or even adverse effects after such stem cell therapy instead often regretting their decisions, ruing the amount of money invested in the procedures and feeling reticent about publicly acknowledging any susceptibility to marketing by such overseas clinics.

Is a Greek Stem Cell Trial for Autism Pending?

In Greece, stem cell researchers at AdiStem Technology appear to have applied for approval for a clinical trial using stem cells for autism in children. AdiStem already have stem cell technologies in use in clinics around the world to treat patients with diabetes, osteoarthritis, and for cosmetic stem cell procedures. As is often the case the interest in stem cells for autism was prompted by the personal involvement of a physician whose son was apparently successfully treated with stem cell therapy. The child, a nine-year old, is seemingly undergoing a barrage of tests, both medical and psychological, following treatment to observe any improvements and provide some degree of objective evidence supporting the application for a wider stem cell trial.

References

Ashwood, P., Wills, S., et al, The immune response in autism: a new frontier for autism research vd Water Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 80:1–15; 2006
Riordan N, Chan K, Marleau A, Ichim T. Cord blood in regenerative medicine: do we need immune suppression? Journal of Translational Medicine. Jan 2007 5:8

Ichim TE, Solano F, Glenn E, Morales F, Smith L, Zabrecky G, Riordan NH., Stem cell therapy for autism. J Transl Med. 2007 Jun 27;5:30.