Overview of the Cell-El Stem Cell Therapy Blog Series

Cell-El studies stem cell therapy as a possible treatment for immune dysfunction. We have been observing this dysfunction in our diagnostic study of children with ASD. Our working theory is that immune dysfunction is possibly a root cause of ASD behavioral issues. By affecting change at the source, we can bring about change in behavior.

This is the second of three Cell-El blog posts where we will hear from two families about their child’s stem cell treatment. In the third, we will look at the different stem cell treatment delivery methods and the theorized pros and cons. Cell-El does not have an opinion as to which is the preferred method. Additional research is necessary.

Disclaimer: The views, practices and opinions expressed by the individuals in these posts do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Cell-El Ltd.

Stem Cell Therapy for a Child with Autism

In Israeli news and media outlets, Ms. Hanna Abramovich of Israel has shared the amazing progress in her son Avi. Avi presents with ASD. A number of years ago he underwent stem cell therapy. She chose the option of autologous stem cells  from the child’s own stored umbilical cord blood.

The Jerusalem Post article titled: “Israeli researchers testing if cord blood could help treat autism”, published April 1 2021, quotes Hanna’s assessment of the changes she personally witnessed in her son Avi. Since the treatment two years ago, Hanna has seen that “Avi has been able to better control his moods and his relationship with space, and to better interact with his environment.”
“He started to speak, make eye contact,” she said. “We see such a dramatic improvement.”*

While the family has given Avi numerous treatments before and after the stem cell treatment, Hanna ‘believes the cord blood is what made the difference. “There is a dramatic difference that we did not see before this treatment from anything else,” she said.’*

AviAvi Biniachvili (photo credit: Hanna Abramovich)

*Courtesy of the Jerusalem Post. For the full article, please click here. 

Ms. Hanna Abramovich also reported her son’s success in the Hebrew media: Umbilical cord blood transfusion may help children diagnosed with autism: “This is a real direction” Mako, Apr 2, 2021. Hebrew title: עירוי דם טבורי עשוי לסייע לילדים המאובחנים עם אוטיזם: “זהו כיוון אמיתי” 

What type of Stem Cell Therapy did Avi Receive

The hospital which performed Avi’s procedure hosts an internationally recognized blood bank. For children who present with ASD, they only use protocols which use the child’s own cells (umbilical cord or harvested bone-marrow ). In unique cases they will use umbilical cells from a sibling who has been carefully matched with HLA (human leukocyte antigen) typing to at least 3 of the 6 parameters. In the case of sibling donors, the cells are injected via IV alone and not directly into the child’s spinal (lumbar) area. More about this in our third post in this series.

It is important to note that despite the unbelievable results that Hanna obtained for her child, neither Hanna nor the clinicians, who performed the procedure, exactly understands the underlying medical issues that existed in Avi prior to treatment. It is not understood what exactly the cord blood cells changed in Avi’s body nor how that brought about a significant change in his behavior and development. There are theories, but more research is needed to explore the immune dysfunction possibly sitting at the root of ASD and how that changes with stem cell treatment. These are the questions we at Cell-El ltd seek to answer.

Help Us Help You

You too can join our team and help us in making a difference in the lives of children with ASD and their families! For the Cell-El study, we are recruiting infants aged 10-18 months not diagnosed with ASD but with a sibling diagnosed with ASD and their mothers. Parents please help spread the word to others and thus enable this important tool to be integrated into Autism treatment as quickly as possible. Additionally, if your child is diagnosed with ASD and between the ages of 2-12 years old and you are planning to take them privately to a clinic offering Stem Cell treatment for ASD, please contact Leah at leah@cell-el.com or fill out the form to find out about eligibility to participate in  our diagnostic study.