Websites in our network:
Our Regeneration team are playing a leading role in advancing research and access to therapies that can target the brain, in particular cell therapies.
We are helping to lay the groundwork in demonstrating the safety and efficacy of these therapies as future treatments for CP and helping to accelerate new therapies into clinical trials and support access pathways.
Substantial progress has been made since Australia’s first ever clinical trial of umbilical cord blood as a treatment for CP. In 2025, the Regeneration theme played a key role in supporting the first Australian child with cerebral palsy to be treated with cord blood via compassionate access.
Visit our dedicated cord blood webpage for more information about this important milestone.
The CPA Regeneration team is leading the way in discovering and translating stem cell treatments and other therapies that target the brain for people with CP
Supported the first ever stem cell trial for cerebral palsy in Australia. Find out more here.
Collaborated to deliver the first access to compassionate cord blood treatment to a child with cerebral palsy in Australia. Find more information here.
Established the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Stem Cell Reference Group which now includes >60 members from the CP community.
We are dedicated to enabling access to new treatments once proven safe and effective. Cord blood is the most well researched cell therapy for CP and our projects in this space focus on supporting compassionate access for Australian families and designing the next phases of research to work towards treatment approval.
As access to cord blood treatment for cerebral palsy progresses in Australia, a registry will be needed to capture important information about who has received UCB, how this treatment was given, and gather information on its short- and long-term benefits. We are scoping the design, creation and implementation of this registry which will support funding, research and, ultimately improved access for families.
Countries like the USA have pioneered cord blood research for CP and continue to explore translation, plus offering compassionate access to treatment. This project (called a barriers and facilitators analysis) aims to publish key learnings from what is working to enable access to cord blood treatment for CP overseas.
PREMSTEM is a €9M research project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The PREMSTEM team is an international collective of world-leading clinicians, researchers, stakeholder advocacy groups and an industry partner with well-established experience in neonatology and drug development. The PREMSTEM project aims to develop a new regenerative stem cell therapy to repair the brain damage caused by premature birth, also known as encephalopathy of prematurity.
A world-first trial investigating the safety and feasibility of a form of non-invasive brain stimulation, called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), delivered to children with CP in their homes. This trial has the potential to change the way we provide treatment to children with CP on a global scale.
The CPA Stem Cell Reference Group brings together people with cerebral palsy, their families and supporters with clinicians and researchers to help shape the work we are doing to advance research and translation within the Regeneration theme. This group provides valuable input to decisions about research goals, questions and methods by contributing their ideas and lived experience. Find out at CP Quest.
We are committed to producing evidence-based, quality, engaging stem cell and regeneration theme content for the CP community, to inform, raise awareness and answer questions people with CP and their families may have about stem cell treatments.
We have co-founded and established the government funded Monash Preterm Cell Therapies Parent Focus Group at Monash (Melbourne). This 6-member group of parents’ support research and development of next generation cord blood therapies for babies born preterm. This focus group is funded by a 2021 MRFF Early to Mid-Career Researchers Grant (#2021053 CIA McDonald).
We conducted a survey of people in the Australian CP community to better understand the acceptability of NSC treatment, which may one day offer potential as a regenerative treatment for conditions like CP. Find out more here.
We led a a collaborative review of the reported data on people with cerebral palsy receiving mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). MSCs are safe and efficacious for improving the gross motor ability of people with cerebral palsy, but further harmonised research is needed.
An Australian-first clinical trial found that sibling umbilical cord blood can be safely used as a treatment for cerebral palsy. This trial enrolled 12 children with CP to receive matched sibling cord blood. Find out more here.
We led the largest ever, global analysis of data collected on children with cerebral palsy who had received cord blood as a treatment through a clinical trial. It showed that umbilical cord blood is safe and efficacious as a treatment for improving gross motor function in people with cerebral palsy, particularly within a specific group of “best responders”. Find out more here.
A world first Australian clinical trial, published in the Lancet, has shown that it is feasible to collect cord blood from the placenta of extremely preterm babies and it is safe to give it back. Find out more here:
In March 2020, Cerebral Palsy Alliance and Research Australia co-hosted a public event featuring a panel of experts discussing the latest in research about stem cells for the brain. During this event, CPA researchers conducted a survey which found overwhelming support for stem cell research for neurological conditions. Watch a recording of the full event here.
Leads the Regeneration Theme in researching stem cells and other therapies that target the brain for prevention, treatment, and possible cures for cerebral palsy.
Involved in the design, conduct and dissemination of cell therapy clinical trials for babies and children with cerebral palsy; facilitating consumer and community reference groups to support involvement in research; advocacy and communications on umbilical cord blood projects across Australia.
Supporting and leading pioneering projects investigating cell therapies and regenerative therapies that aim to improve outcomes for people with cerebral palsy. Working within the Regeneration theme to evaluate studies, explore results and share findings with the community.
Responsible for providing research administrative support to the Regeneration theme and across a variety of projects within the Research Institute.
Our team understands that research is not always accessible or easy to digest, especially in the world of cell therapies and treatments that target the brain. We frequently generate summaries of recent findings, breakthroughs and updates for you to enjoy. Read some of them here.
Cell therapy research is a priority for the CP community. Hear from families about what this research means to them and how they help shape our focus.
