Autism-Open Access
Open Access
ISSN: 2165-7890
+44 1223 790975
ISSN: 2165-7890
+44 1223 790975
Gocha Shatirishvili
Cord Blood Bank Geocord, Georgia
Keynote: Autism Open Access
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with onset early in life. The stereotypical behavior, impairment of social communication and restricted activities are its characteristics. Immunodysregulation, hypoperfusion of brain and neuroinflammation play role in pathogenesis. There is no cure; ABA therapy is not enough efficient and new therapies are needed. Several trials demonstrated that CB transplantation for autism is safe and effective. Cord blood stem cells have positive paracrine effect on affected brain. But not all cord blood units contain recommended cell doses for intravenous treatment. Intrathecal injection could solve this problem. This is the safe route with no neural tissue damage and the circumvention of the bloodbrain- barrier finds place. All injected cells gets transported by CSF to the affected parts of brain, while most of intravenously transplanted cells are caught in lungs, spleen and liver, only tiny number of cells migrates through blood-brain barrier. Mardaleishvili Medical Center, Tbilisi has started phase I study. Children at age of 4-12 years are injected intrathecally with autologous cord blood three times with six months intervals. No minimal cell dose was established. Three patients were treated yet. No significant side effects were observed. Efficacy was confirmed by VABS-II and ADOS-2. After two transplantations, children’s conditions were improved steadily and significantly. Behavioral improvement, less aggressiveness, no emotional outbursts and impressive improvement of intellectual capacities as well as vocabulary were reported.
Gocha Shatirishvili is the Medical Director of Cord Blood Bank Geocord, and Chief Scientist at Cancer Research Center, Tbilisi. He has earned his Doctoral degree at Medical University Lubeck. Since 2000, his research interests focused on stem cell therapy: cell banking, cell therapy with bone marrow (spinal cord injury, liver cirrhosis, heart failure, autism, mental disability) and cord blood (ongoing study on autism), immunotherapy with NK cells and DC vaccine. He is a Member of Cord Blood Association, Perinatal Stem Cell Society and AABB. He is a regular speaker at stem cell congresses worldwide and published 10 papers.
E-mail: gochasha@yahoo.com