Cryo-Save Group N.V. - Girl recovers from brain tumor after her stem cells rebuild her immune system
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
Cryo-Save Group N.V. (Euronext: CRYO, 'Cryo-Save', or 'the Group'), Europe's
leading adult stem cell storage bank, announces the successful transplant of
adult stem cells, stored by Cryo-Save, as part of the treatment of a malignant
and potentially fatal brain tumor.
Alba, a girl from Cadiz in Spain, has recovered from medulloblastoma, a highly
malignant brain tumor, after having received her own stem cells as part of her
treatment. These stem cells had been obtained from her umbilical cord at the
time of her birth and had been preserved and stored by Cryo-Save in Niel,
Belgium. After surgery and chemotherapy the stem cell transplantation fully
rebuilt her immune system. The now four year old girl was treated in the Niño
Jesús Hospital in Madrid starting at the age of two. Currently she does not
require any medication and lives a normal life.
Arnoud van Tulder, Cryo-Save's CEO reacts gleefully on the news:
"We at Cryo-Save are delighted to hear that Alba has fully recovered. We are
proud that Cryo-Save was able to contribute to her healing process. This happy
outcome underlines the importance of the stem cell storage service we offer to
newborns and recently also to adults."
"It also confirms that cord blood contains excellent stem cells. These cord
blood cells are the youngest in the human body, and are eminently suitable for
medical applications. Recent studies confirm the exponential increase in the use
of these stem cells throughout the world. Results obtained in applications for
umbilical cord blood stem cells are encouraging in treatments for many diseases,
including lymphomas, and inborn errors of bone marrow."
"This case demonstrates our commitment to the wellbeing of our customers and the
high quality of Cryo-Save's processing and storage procedures. It underpins also
the usefulness of storing one's own stem cells."
Dr. Luis Madero, head of the Department of Haematology and Oncology of the
Madrid Hospital Niño Jesus and responsible for the treatment and subsequent
follow-up of Alba, commented:
"This is a unique case in Spain. The use of stem cells to regenerate the blood
system is a well-established treatment for this type of cancer. What makes this
case unique is that, for the first time in our country, stem cells used for the
treatment came from the baby's umbilical cord blood. In recent years,
transplantation of stem cells from umbilical cord blood saw substantial growth.
Particularly in the case of siblings, these stem cells are the best treatment
option".
Alba's disease and treatment
When Alba was born in 2007, her parents decided to store stem cells from her
umbilical cord blood with Cryo-Save. Two years later Alba was diagnosed with
medulloblastoma, a very rare and highly malignant tumor in the central nervous
system.
The treatment for medulloblastoma began with surgery to remove most of the brain
tumor. Following surgery, Alba was treated with chemotherapy to reduce the
residual tumor, and to eliminate the remaining cancer cells. Chemotherapy though
not only destroys cancer cells, but also the patient's blood and immune system.
That is why Alba's immune system needed to be rebuilt with a stem cell
transplant.
The transplant was performed using stem cells from Alba's umbilical cord, which
were released by Cryo-Save's main storage facility in Belgium to the treating
physicians at the Madrid hospital. After the transplant, the stem cells migrated
to the bone marrow, where they started producing white and red blood cells as
well as platelets, regenerating her blood cells system. 60 Days after the
transplant, additional stem cells (this time from the peripheral blood of Alba)
were transfused in order to accelerate the platelet cells system. Fourteen
months after transplantation, the child had completely rebuilt her blood and
immune system and started to enjoy a normal life, despite the necessary periodic
medical checks.
Enquiries:
Cryo-Save Group
Arnoud van Tulder, Chief Executive Officer (+ 31 (0) 575 548 998)
SPJ Financiële Communicatie (The Netherlands)
Kees Jongsma/Leon Melens (+31 (0)20 647 8181)
Daniel Stewart & Company plc (UK)
Christopher Theis (+ 44 (0) 20 7776 6550)
College Hill (UK)
Rozi Morris/ Adrian Duffield (+ 44 (0) 20 7457 2020)
Free footage is available on www.videobankonline.com.
About Cryo-Save
With 150,000 samples saved, Cryo-Save is the leading stem cell bank in Europe
and one of the fastest growing in the world. Driven by its international
business strategy, Cryo-Save is now represented in 40 countries on three
continents with state-of-the-art processing facilities in Belgium, Germany,
Dubai, India and France (validation in progress).
Click here to view full press release in PDF:
http://hugin.info/143308/R/1496216/431919.pdf
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of
Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and
other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Cryo-Save Group N.V. via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1496216]
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 11.03.2011 - 07:00 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 52357
Anzahl Zeichen: 6048
contact information:
Town:
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Kategorie:
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