Researchers have been given the go-ahead to test stem cells from cord
blood with the ultimate goal of reversing hearing loss in infants and
toddlers whose inner ears have been damaged. U.S. regulators have approved the Phase I study, which has a primary
objective of determining the safety of the experimental stem cell
therapy. The therapy involves transfusing a baby’s own stem cells from
umbilical cord blood, banked by parents after their child’s birth. Ten
children aged six weeks to 18 months old with sensorineural hearing loss
will be recruited for the study by doctors at Children’s Memorial
Hermann Hospital in Houston.