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February 2003
CWD Foundation
Awards $10,000 to Dr. Scott Bearman
Dr. Scott Bearman, the
father of a boy with type 1 diabetes, is an expert in stem cell
transplantation. The Children With Diabetes Foundation is pleased
to present Dr. Bearman with a grant in the amount of $10,000 towards
the following study:
A Pilot Study of Directed
Donation, Banking and Infusion of Umbilical Cord Blood in Infants
at High Risk for Developing Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
His hypothesis:
· Cord blood contains competent autoregulatory T cells.
· Infusion of autologous umbilical cord blood, containing
competent autoregulatory T cells, collected and stored at birth,
can alter the natural history of beta cell autoimmunity (BCA) in
siblings or offspring of patients with T1DM.
The aims:
· To store umbilical cord blood from infants with either
siblings or parents who have Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.
· To determine whether autologous cord blood cells can remit
autoimmunity in children with beta cell autoimmunity.
Infants with first-degree
relatives who have T1DM will be followed serially for development
of BCA and dysregulation of autoregulatory T cells. Upon development
of BCA, autologous cord blood will be infused and we will evaluate
whether or not this:
· Delays or prevents progression to T1DM.
· Remits BCA.
· Restores autoregulatory T cells.
We congratulate Dr. Bearman
and his colleagues on this innovative study!
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