Stem cell study brings new hope for premature babies

Researchers at the University of Alberta are working on what they say could be a "game changer" in the treatment of premature infants with lung disease -- and parents are doing what they can to speed up the process.
Researchers say they've seen promising results after injecting human stem cells into rats with lung disease. The cells repaired the lungs, returning them to almost normal, according to team leader Dr. Bernard Thebaud.
"The findings were so dramatic," says Dr. Thebaud. "The results were obvious from the first experiment."
"This has huge potential for babies with premature lung disease, but also adults with emphysema."
About half of all babies born before 28 weeks get chronic lung disease, a condition that can affect lung capacity as they grow up.
The research is still in an early phase. But after a chance meeting with Dr. Thebaud, Edmonton-area parents Julie Berardi and Luis Diaz are pushing for more research to be funded and fast-tracked -- in hope that it could help newborns like their Nathan and Gabrielle.
The children were born nearly four months premature, too early for their lungs to work on their own, and have been near death several times at the University of Alberta Hospital. Berardi met Dr. Thebaud en route to the hospital chapel and learned he hoped to have a treatment ready for children like hers in five years.
"Five years? Why not now?" says Berardi.
Berardi and Diaz are leading the push to fund a follow-up study, starting as quickly as possible.
"It's a matter of getting him the resources and the money," says Diaz. "A million dollars is a lot for me and Julie... but the money is out there."
Now seven months old, Nathan is still in hospital and is expected to remain there for another month. Gabriella is at home but still on oxygen. Both have trouble breathing.
Scientists caution that research cannot be rushed. But Dr. Duncan Stewart of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute says that if the Alberta team can confirm that their treatment is safe, "you have a fairly strong argument to start considering testing this clinically."
"One needs to be responsible … (and) understand not only the potential benefits but also what are the risks that may ensue," says Dr. Stewart, whose own work looks at using stem cells to treat pulmonary hypertension.
An ambitious timeline would see a pilot study start in 18 months, with randomized trials in three years and results in five.
Thebaud's team injected stem cells into the rats' airways. He says the stem cells acted like tiny damage control factories and, two weeks later, the rodents were running twice as far on treadmills and had better survival rates.
"The fact is they work and they seem to be safe," says Dr. Thebaud.
The research will be published Dec. 1 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Researchers in the U.S. have reported similar effects with stem cells on lungs.

Source: http://www.ctv.ca/