18 September 2018 - - US-based newborn stem cell company CBR (Cord Blood Registry) has published the results of the first clinical trial evaluating the use of autologous umbilical cord blood in children with acquired sensorineural hearing loss, the company said.

Co-principal investigators, Dr. James Baumgartner, MD and Pediatric Surgeon at Florida Hospital for Children, and Linda Baumgartner, Certified Auditory Verbal Therapist at Little HEARoes and Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, performed the study at the Florida Hospital for Children.

The study was published in August 2018 by the Journal of Audiology and Otology, and institutional funding was provided solely by CBR, a California Cryobank company.

As part of their commitment to help advance the science of newborn stem cells, CBR funded this phase 1 pilot study to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of infusions of autologous umbilical cord blood in 11 children with acquired SNHL.

The study demonstrated that the cord blood infusions were safe, feasible, and well tolerated. In addition, 45% of participants showed improvements on Auditory Brainstem Response after their infusion.

SNHL is defined as hearing loss due to damage or dysfunction of the inner ear (as opposed to other structures of the ear).

This can be a result of premature birth, infections, or exposure to noise or ototoxic drugs, resulting in irreversible damage to the fragile hair cells (cilia) in the inner ear.

Although hearing aids or cochlear implants help to improve the ability to hear in individuals who have SNHL, these current interventions don't address the underlying cause. Currently, there is no cure for SNHL.

Founded in 1992, CBR is entrusted by parents with storing more than 800,000 children's cord blood and cord tissue samples. CBR is dedicated to advancing the clinical application of cord blood and cord tissue stem cells by partnering with institutions to establish FDA-regulated clinical trials for conditions that have no cure.