New Study - Stem Cell Treatment for Autism Successful (Phase 1)

This seems like a positive development - I hope researchers are working in this area for schizophrenia also.

An innovative stem cell trial taking place at Duke University in North Carolina is giving hope to parents of children with autism, including one young Toronto family.

Noah Barcolos was two years old when he was diagnosed with autism.

Two years later, he’s one of 180 children taking part in the second phase of a study at the Durham, North Carolina school. The goal of the clinical trial is to see whether a transfusion of the child’s own umbilical cord blood packed with stem cells can help treat autism.

“Noah has mostly been in his own world,” according to his mom, Sammy Barcolos. “He likes to play around the kids rather than interact with them.”

But since taking part in the trial, Noah’s parents say the difference has been remarkable.

“He gets upset. We got more eye contract, interaction, facial expressions,” said Noah’s dad, Michael. “Now he makes the expressions at the right moments,” said Sammy. “He’s also calling me mommy. He’s never done that.”

Noah isn’t the only child in the trial to show progress.

“Generally we saw behaviours improve at 6 months compared to their baseline study,” Doctor Joanne Kurtzberg told CNN.

Full stories:

FULL RESEARCH PAPER (FREE auto download PDF file) here:

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Interesting hope they will do for sz as well …!!!