On the agenda at the convention will be some of the foundations run by Lions Australia. One such foundation is the Lions Cord Blood Foundation Inc. which has been running for 28 years. Kangaroo Valley has supported this foundation with donations in the past and are excited at their latest project.
Monash University (Department of Paediatrics) have been researching the use of cord blood stem cells on premature babies who often have brain, lung and other problems, in the hope of finding successful treatments.
Phase 1 clinical trials tested the feasibility and safety of this therapy with outcomes that showed great promise and paved the way to the Phase 2 trial which will focus on fetal stroke. The Cord Blood Bank is also involved in this trial where insufficient stem cells are provided by the babies themselves. The University has an overall 5-year plan to research the impact of brain injuries in 250 to 350 premature babies.
Collaboration with the Heart Research team at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute: the aim of this study was to investigate cord blood mononuclear stem cells and the blood cells of the heart. It was found that the cord blood cells prepared by the Bank do enhance blood vessel formation in the heart.
The foundation has also collaborated with the Children’s Medical Research Institute Sydney for blindness treatment. The Cord Blood Bank has produced retinal cells from the cord blood cells to allow the Institute to develop photoreceptor cell therapy to treat blindness.
The support that your club has provided this foundation has resulted in taking steps to improve the lives of premature babies, as well as expanding the research into other stem cell therapies involving the Cord Blood Bank.
If you are planning any Christmas in July activities, please consider using a Lions Cake or pudding. Contact Lorraine for more details.
