Stem cells from umbilical cord blood may help treat eczema

A new study suggests that treatment with stem cells from umbilical cord blood might be an effective therapy for patients with moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis.

For the clinical trial, 34 patients were randomly assigned to receive a low dose or high dose of the cells subcutaneously. Fifty five percent of patients who received the high dose showed a 50% reduction in what's known as the Eczema Area and Severity Index score at week 12. Immune-related markers of atopic dermatitis also decreased significantly.

"This study is a first-in-class study demonstrating that adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis responded to a treatment of stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood," said Dr. Tae-Yoon Kim, senior author of the Stem Cells study. "The single treatment of stem cells in patients resulted in the significant and persistent improvement in disease symptoms throughout the follow-up period of 12 weeks."