Umbilical cord blood transplants have been used to perform various life-saving treatments for more than 27 years. The stem cells found in cord blood are used in the treatment of conditions including leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Hodgkins disease and various immune system disorders.
Stem cells can rebuild a person’s capacity to generate healthy blood cells. Researchers have also continued to improve umbilical cord blood transplants over the past 27-years, leading to better success rates.
Dr Omar Aljitawi, of the Cancer Biology Program at The University of Kansas Cancer Center has just completed a trial on the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to improve outcomes after umbilical cord blood transplants. Dr Aljitawi noticed that many stem cell transplants had issues with engraftment — the process when transplanted stem cells make their way into the bone marrow and start dividing.
In a bid to improve the success rate of stem cell engraftment, the doctor looked at the development of blood cells in other parts of the body. He found that the kidney secreted a hormone called erythropoietin (EPO) to increase the rate of red blood cell production when oxygen levels go down. Dr Aljitawi believed that when the levels of EPO declined, red blood cells were closer to the bone marrow.
Because EPO has a link to oxygen levels, Aljitawi believed that manipulating oxygen levels might make it easier for stem cells to penetrate into the bone marrow. Using a hyperbaric chamber is a simple and safe way to change those oxygen levels.
Although the trial only used a small sample of human test subjects (15 in total), it showed some very positive results. The patients who underwent the oxygen treatment required less stem cell treatments to regain healthy blood cell generation capacity. All 15 patients were weaned off stem cell transfusions within 100 days. For patients who did not have the therapy, only 70% were weaned off in less than 100 days.
The next step is a phase II trial with more participants.
Source: Oxygen treatment boosts the success of umbilical cord blood transplants
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