Acceptability of neural stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy: survey of the Australian cerebral palsy community

Stem Cell Research & Therapy

Research

Madison Claire Badawy Paton¹  Annabel Webb¹  Megan Finch-Edmondson¹  Michael C. Fahey²  Courtney A. McDonald³  Madeleine J. Smith⁴  Suzanne L. Miller⁴  Graham Jenkin⁴ 

[1] Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, Speciality of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia;Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia;The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC, Australia;The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC, Australia;Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia;

关键词: Cell therapy;    Cerebral palsy;    Brain injury;    Stakeholder engagement;    Pediatric neurology;    Neurosurgery;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13287-023-03246-2

 received in 2022-07-22, accepted in 2023-01-18,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundNeural stem cells (NSCs) have the potential to engraft and replace damaged brain tissue, repairing the damaged neonatal brain that causes cerebral palsy (CP). There are procedures that could increase engraftment of NSCs and may be critical for efficacy, but hold notable risks. Before clinical trials progress, it is important to engage with the CP community to understand their opinions. The aim of this study was to determine the acceptability of NSC therapy for CP in the CP community.MethodsAustralian residents with CP and parents/carers of those with CP completed a questionnaire to determine their willingness to use NSCs from three sources (fetal, embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells) and their willingness to undergo accompanying procedures (neurosurgery, immunosuppression) that carry potential risks. To further explore their views, participants also answered free text questions about their ethical concerns regarding the source of NSCs and their perceptions of meaningful outcomes following NSC treatment.ResultsIn total, 232 responses were analyzed. Participants were willing to use NSCs from all three cell sources and were willing to undergo NSC therapy despite the need for neurosurgery and immunosuppression. Participants identified a range of outcome domains considered important following NSC treatment including gross motor function, quality of life, independence and cognitive function.ConclusionsHypothetical NSC therapy was acceptable to the Australian CP community. This study has identified important findings from the CP community which can be used to inform future NSC research, including the design of clinical trials which may help to increase recruitment, compliance and participant satisfaction.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

Fig. 4