Traumatic Brain Injury Breakthroughs: Interview with Dr. Charles Cox, Jr.

Save the Cord Foundation recently interviewed Dr. Charles S. Cox, Jr. about his research using cord blood to potentially treat Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). 

According to Medscape, TBI is defined as, “a non-degenerative, non-congenital insult to the brain from an external mechanical force, possibly leading to a permanent or temporary impairment of cognitive, physical, and psychosocial functions, with an associated diminished or altered state of consciousness.”

Furthermore, traumaticbraininjury.com explains that TBI can limit the use of certain parts of the body and can alter personality. It can impair thinking, movement, sensation, emotional functioning, and more. In addition, no two-brain injuries are the same and the consequences of each individual brain injury may be extremely different.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, TBI contributes to about 30% of all injury deaths. Every day, 153 people in the United States die from injuries that include TBI.
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In this short interview, Dr. Cox gives a brief overview of his work. He and his team recently completed their first acute, autologous cell therapy treatment Phase I study for traumatic brain injury in children aged 5-14. The study represents a significant milestone in Dr. Cox’s research focused on potentially treating traumatic brain injury with cord blood. ​

View the interview with Dr. Cox below or via our channel on YouTube.

Coming up soon

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Dr. Cox will be a featured speaker for 

World Cord Blood Day 2018
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Register now to hear Dr. Cox present his research in detail. On November 15th, 2018, Dr. Cox will be a featured speaker for World Cord Blood Day 2018 discussing his recent research and encouraging results.

The key highlights of his talk will examine how cord blood plays a vital role in treating patients with traumatic brain injury. He will discuss how cord blood suppresses the neuro-inflammatory response after a traumatic brain injury.

A major objective of his study is to discern the different degrees of potency that each cord blood unit may have, specifically pertaining to donor-to-donor variability.

​Dr. Cox will also discuss the direction of future cell therapeutic research including the use of cord blood. 

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About Dr. Charles S. Cox, Jr.

​Dr. Charles S. Cox, Jr. is a pediatric surgeon at UTHealth Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center. He is the George and Cynthia Mitchell Distinguished Chair in Neurosciences and directs the Pediatric Surgical Laboratories and Pediatric Program in Regenerative Medicine at the UTHealth Medical School. He also directs the Pediatric Trauma Program at the UTHealth Medical School/Children’s Memorial Herman Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. 

Want to learn more about cord blood clinical trials?

Cord blood is currently being used to treat over 80 life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, lymphoma and more. Yet, scientists like Dr. Cox are also realizing that cord blood has tremendous potential in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. Numerous clinical trials are underway worldwide to explore the potential of using cord blood to treat traumatic brain injury, diabetes, autism, cerebral palsy, hearing loss and more.

​If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about these clinical trials, we recommend visiting our section dedicated to this topic.  Click here to learn more. 

 
Citations 
          1. Dawodu, ,A (2017) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) – Definition, Epidemiology, Pathophysiology. Medscape. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/326510-overview
 
          2. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, (2018) Traumatic Brain Injury. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/traumatic-brain-injury/symptoms-causes/syc-20378557 
 
          3. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, (2017). TBI: Get the Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/get_the_facts.html