Researchers at Sutter Health are initiating a clinical trial to see if stem cells culled from a patient’s own umbilical cord blood could be used to improve language and behavior problems associated with autism.

Sutter Neurosciences Institute and the for-profit cord blood bank Cord Blood Registry are leading the first-of-its-kind placebo controlled trial. The study is being conducted in conjunction with the Sutter Institute for Medical Research. Autism spectrum disorders impact one in 88 children in the United States and one in 54 boys. The condition is thought to have multiple risk factors including genetic, environmental and immunological components.

Michael Chez, director of Pediatric Neurology with the Sutter Neuroscience Institute and principal study investigator, says the study will focus on children diagnosed with autism who have no obvious cause for the condition, such as a known genetic syndrome or brain injury.

“This is the start of a new age of research in stem cell therapies for chronic diseases such as autism, and a natural step to determine whether patients receive some benefit from an infusion of their own cord blood stem cells,” he says.

The study will enroll 30 children between the ages of two and seven, with a diagnosis of autism. The inclusion criteria for the study includes a requirement that the participant have a sufficient quantity of cord blood stored at Cord Blood Registry. Cord Blood Registry is the only stem cell bank providing units from clients for the study.

Participants must also not have genetic conditions such as cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, Crohn’s disease, Fragile X syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Angelman syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, epilepsy, or known genetic defects that overlap autism spectrum disorder.

Umbilical cord blood has long been used to treat a variety of conditions including certain forms of cancer, blood diseases, and immune disorders. The cord blood contains a unique population of stem cells that can used to rebuild the blood and immune systems, the researchers say.

Sutter’s Chez, who has focused on the relationship between the immune system and central nervous system, says there is evidence to suggest that certain children with autism have dysfunctional immune systems that may be damaging or delaying the development of the nervous system.

“Cord blood stem cells may offer ways to modulate or repair the immune systems of these patients which would also improve language and some behavior in children who have no obvious reason to have become autistic,” he says. The study is similar to other FDA-approved clinical trials looking at cord blood stem cells as a therapy for cerebral palsy.