Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation in a Patient with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Pilot Study

Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) have been introduced as a possible therapy in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). We report a 16-year-old boy who was treated with WJ-MSCs in the course of HIE due to post-cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He received a long period of mechanical ventilation and tracheostomy with spastic quadriparesis. He underwent the intrathecal (1×106/kg in 3 mL), intramuscular (1×106/kg in 20 mL) and intravenous (1×106/kg in 30 mL) administrations of WJ-MSCs for each application route (twice a month for 2 months). After stem cell infusions, progressive improvements were shown in his neurological examination, neuroradiological, and neurophysiological findings. To our best knowledge, this is a pioneer project to clinically study the neural repair effect of WJ-MSCs in a patient with HIE.