SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (https://www.beikebiotech.com) today announced the successful treatment with umbilical cord stem cells of three-and-a-half-year- old American toddler Lukas Nguyen. At the age of one, Lukas suffered a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) leading to cerebral palsy (CP). Prior to his China stem cell treatment, doctors had previously examined Lukas at the prestigious Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Stanford, California. After his first trip to China, the same doctors stated Lukas’s improvement between visits was “remarkable.” The doctors made the statement in a Neurosurgery Outpatient Letter dated March 8, 2007, which was written following an additional evaluation period by physicians, therapists, and family members in the United States.
In the Neurosurgery Outpatient Report, Lukas’ doctors further stated, “We are very pleased with his dramatic improvement and his progress. We recommended the parents to continue their therapies as indicated.” The doctors were not aware that Lukas had gone for stem cell treatment in China between the two examinations in which the “dramatic improvement” had been made.
Starting from October 11, 2006, Beike Biotech provided umbilical cord stem cells to the Nanshan People’s Hospital for Lukas’ treatment. Due to national regulations, the toddler could not receive stem cell treatment in his own country, so Lukas and his mother, Catherine Nguyen, traveled to Shenzhen for the revolutionary treatment. After only two rounds of stem cell injections and therapy, in October of 2006 and April of 2007 respectively, family members noted that Lukas achieved milestones at a much earlier point than expected after such a serious accident. Lukas continues progressive recovery of his motor and cognitive skills.
Ms. Nguyen said, “We are happy that we finally made the decision for treatment, but we wish we would have gone to China immediately after the injury. We understand that US doctors are cautious about these treatments but they are not the ones who lose when they advise patients to wait. For us, it has been a case of better late than never because we saw more improvement in the two months after his first China stem cell treatment than in the entire time since his accident. We are glad that other family members, friends, and doctors who don’t see Lukas on a regular basis can now clearly see the significant improvements he has made.”
Dr. Sean Hu, chairman of Beike, said, “As always, what makes us most happy is seeing the improvement in our patient’s quality of life, especially for toddlers like Lukas. However, we are also pleased to have another case where positive progress is documented by a third party which was not influenced by the knowledge that the patient was treated with stem cells. Between our studies and publications from China, and our collection of individual case studies abroad, we are starting to win over physicians and scientists throughout the world. Physician buy-in is essential for our quest to provide patients with this treatment in their own countries as soon as possible.”
Lukas had just turned one when he fell down the stairs on January 7, 2005. He immediately fell unconscious and sustained severe brain injuries that technically included an interhemispheric subdural hematoma causing generalized cerebral edema. The accident caused Lukas to lose more than 35% of his brain mass and reduced Lukas’ motor and cognitive skills to the level of a newborn. Over the next year and a half, Lukas made very slow progress as his brain mass continued to decrease. After both his first and second stem cell treatment in Nanshan Hospital, Lukas’s family and doctors have seen significant improvements. The family plans to take Lukas for a third round of treatment in early 2008.
Ms. Nguyen said, “Since the stem cell treatments, Lukas’s brain mass is increasing, he’s talking and understands language much more. His gross motor skills and muscle tone have also improved. He can even stand balancing and unsupported for a few minutes. We are very hopeful for similar gains on our future visits.”