Cell-Based Therapy for Cerebral Palsy: A Puzzle in Progress

Cell-based therapy has shown promising outcomes in the treatment of cerebral palsy (CP). However, there is no consensus on a standard therapeutic protocol regarding the source of cells, optimal cell dose, timing and frequency of cell injections, route of administration, or the use of combination therapy. This lack of consensus necessitates a comprehensive investigation to clarify these crucial yet undefined factors in cell-based therapy for CP patients. In this commentary, we discuss and compare the trends in Gross Motor Function Measure-66 following intrathecal injection of umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (UCB-MNCs) and umbilical cord tissue mesenchymal stromal cells (UCTMSCs) in children with CP. Our study revealed that MNC injections led to earlier improvements in gross motor function, whereas MSC applications resulted in more sustainable changes. These findings provide key insights into the efficacy of different cell types, which will be beneficial for future studies and for refining cell-based therapy protocols for CP treatment.