Stem cell therapies for preterm brain injury and inflammation

In Australia, a baby is born with a brain injury that underlies cerebral palsy every 15 hours. A leading cause of this brain injury is preterm birth and exposure to inflammation during development. This thesis investigated the potential of two types of stem cell therapies derived from the placenta in a model of preterm brain injury. Umbilical cord blood cells were the most neuroprotective, rescuing the brain from cell death and white matter damage. This work has the potential to alter the way babies are treated in the future, protecting the vulnerable preterm brain and improving neurological outcomes.