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Jessica Muller Sun

Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Pediatrics, Hematology-Oncology

Selected Publications


Motor function and safety after allogeneic cord blood and cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in cerebral palsy: An open-label, randomized trial.

Journal Article Dev Med Child Neurol · December 2022 AIM: To evaluate safety and motor function after treatment with allogeneic umbilical cord blood (AlloCB) or umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hCT-MSC) in children with cerebral palsy (CP). METHOD: Ninety-one children (52 males, 39 fe ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Sibling umbilical cord blood infusion is safe in young children with cerebral palsy.

Journal Article Stem Cells Transl Med · September 2021 Preclinical and early phase clinical studies suggest that an appropriately dosed umbilical cord blood (CB) infusion has the potential to help improve motor function in young children with cerebral palsy (CP). As many children with CP do not have their own ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Stem cell therapies in cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder.

Journal Article Dev Med Child Neurol · May 2021 Across disciplines, there is great anticipation that evolving cell therapies may finally provide a therapeutic option for conditions in dire need. These conditions are typically complex and their pathophysiology incompletely understood, hindering the devel ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

DTI Tract-Based Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping: An Initial Feasibility Study to Investigate the Potential Role of Myelination in Brain Connectivity Change in Cerebral Palsy Patients During Autologous Cord Blood Cell Therapy Using a Rotationally-Invariant Quantitative Measure.

Journal Article J Magn Reson Imaging · January 2021 BACKGROUND: Previous studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based connectome analysis revealed improved connectivity in cerebral palsy (CP) patients who underwent autologous umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem-cell therapy. However, the potential mechani ... Full text Link to item Cite

Umbilical Cord Blood or Mesenchymal Stromal Cells as Potential Therapies for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Chapter · January 1, 2021 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that presents in childhood and is characterized by restricted, repetitive behaviors and impairments in social communication. The exact cause in unknown, but genetic and immunologic factors are ... Full text Cite

Infusion of human umbilical cord tissue mesenchymal stromal cells in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Journal Article Stem Cells Transl Med · October 2020 Ongoing neuroinflammation may contribute to symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in at least a portion of affected individuals. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have demonstrated the capacity to modulate neuroinflammation, but safety and feasibility ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

A Phase II Randomized Clinical Trial of the Safety and Efficacy of Intravenous Umbilical Cord Blood Infusion for Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Journal Article J Pediatr · July 2020 OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether umbilical cord blood (CB) infusion is safe and associated with improved social and communication abilities in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). STUDY DESIGN: This prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, doubl ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The Effects of Umbilical Cord Blood and Cord Tissue Cell Therapies in Animal and Human Models of Cerebral Palsy

Chapter · January 1, 2020 Biologic and cell-based therapies are increasingly being developed for a multitude of diseases. They are being explored in the treatment of neurologic conditions, as traditional pharmacologic agents typically cannot fully address the pathologic complexity ... Full text Cite

White Matter Tract Changes Associated with Clinical Improvement in an Open-Label Trial Assessing Autologous Umbilical Cord Blood for Treatment of Young Children with Autism.

Journal Article Stem Cells Transl Med · February 2019 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social communication deficits and the presence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. We have previously reported significant improvements in behavior ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Novel intronic DICER1 variation associated with pleuropulmonary blastoma in two siblings.

Journal Article BMJ Case Rep · January 20, 2019 Pleuropulmonary blastomas (PPB) are rare aggressive paediatric lung malignancies associated with DICER1 variants. We present two cases, a 2-year-old girl with upper respiratory tract symptoms as well as a 6-month-old girl sibling undergoing screening due t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Electrophysiological Biomarkers Predict Clinical Improvement in an Open-Label Trial Assessing Efficacy of Autologous Umbilical Cord Blood for Treatment of Autism.

Journal Article Stem Cells Transl Med · November 2018 This study was a phase I, single-center, and open-label trial of a single intravenous infusion of autologous umbilical cord blood in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty-five children between the ages of 2 and 6 with a confirmed diagn ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Cell therapy for diverse central nervous system disorders: inherited metabolic diseases and autism.

Journal Article Pediatr Res · January 2018 The concept of utilizing human cells for the treatment of medical conditions is not new. In its simplest form, blood product transfusion as treatment of severe hemorrhage has been practiced since the 1800s. The advent of hematopoietic stem cell transplanta ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Cord Blood Stem Cells

Chapter · January 1, 2018 Cord blood (CB) has been established as a viable source of donor cells for hematopoietic reconstitution in allogeneic transplantation for all of the clinical indications treated with adult hematopoietic stem cells. CB is the only hematopoietic stem cell so ... Full text Cite

Effect of Autologous Cord Blood Infusion on Motor Function and Brain Connectivity in Young Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Journal Article Stem Cells Transl Med · December 2017 Cerebral palsy (CP) is a condition affecting young children that causes lifelong disabilities. Umbilical cord blood cells improve motor function in experimental systems via paracrine signaling. After demonstrating safety, we conducted a phase II trial of a ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Autologous Cord Blood Infusions Are Safe and Feasible in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Results of a Single-Center Phase I Open-Label Trial.

Journal Article Stem Cells Transl Med · May 2017 Despite advances in early diagnosis and behavioral therapies, more effective treatments for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are needed. We hypothesized that umbilical cord blood-derived cell therapies may have potential in alleviating ASD symp ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Cord Blood Transplantation in Hematological and Metabolic Diseases

Chapter · January 1, 2016 Umbilical cord blood (CB), as a source of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells for hematopoietic reconstitution, has been used for over two decades in allogeneic transplantation to treat patients with hematological malignancies, bone marrow failure, imm ... Full text Cite

Repeated autologous umbilical cord blood infusions are feasible and had no acute safety issues in young babies with congenital hydrocephalus.

Journal Article Pediatr Res · December 2015 BACKGROUND: Babies with congenital hydrocephalus often experience developmental disabilities due to brain injury associated with prolonged increased pressure on the developing brain parenchyma. Umbilical cord blood (CB) infusion has favorable effects in an ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Cord blood for brain injury.

Journal Article Cytotherapy · June 2015 Recovery from neurological injuries is typically incomplete and often results in significant and permanent disabilities. Currently, most available therapies are limited to supportive or palliative measures, aimed at managing the symptoms of the condition. ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Brain structural connectivity increases concurrent with functional improvement: evidence from diffusion tensor MRI in children with cerebral palsy during therapy.

Journal Article Neuroimage Clin · 2015 Cerebral Palsy (CP) refers to a heterogeneous group of permanent but non-progressive movement disorders caused by injury to the developing fetal or infant brain (Bax et al., 2005). Because of its serious long-term consequences, effective interventions that ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Emerging uses of cord blood in regenerative medicine-neurological applications

Chapter · January 1, 2015 Regenerative medicine is dedicated to the study of repairing, replacing, or regenerating damaged human cells, tissues, or organs to restore or establish normal function, and it is predicted to develop into numerous applications to treat a wide variety of c ... Full text Cite

Optimizing donor selection for public cord blood banking: influence of maternal, infant, and collection characteristics on cord blood unit quality.

Journal Article Transfusion · February 2014 BACKGROUND: Banked unrelated donor umbilical cord blood (CB) has improved access to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for patients without a suitably matched donor. In a resource-limited environment, ensuring that the public inventory is enriched wit ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Diffuse reduction of white matter connectivity in cerebral palsy with specific vulnerability of long range fiber tracts.

Journal Article Neuroimage Clin · 2013 Cerebral palsy (CP) is a heterogeneous group of non-progressive motor disorders caused by injury to the developing fetal or infant brain. Although the defining feature of CP is motor impairment, numerous other neurodevelopmental disabilities are associated ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Differences in quality between privately and publicly banked umbilical cord blood units: a pilot study of autologous cord blood infusion in children with acquired neurologic disorders.

Journal Article Transfusion · September 2010 BACKGROUND: A pilot study was conducted to determine the safety and feasibility of intravenous administration of autologous umbilical cord blood (CB) in young children with acquired neurologic disorders. Most CB units (CBUs) were electively stored in priva ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Umbilical cord blood transplantation

Chapter · January 1, 2010 Overview. Over the past several decades, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has emerged as an effective approach to curative therapy for both pediatric and adult patients with aggressive or recurrent malignancies, congenital immunodeficiency diseases, ... Full text Cite

Safety and transparency of pediatric drug trials.

Journal Article Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med · December 2009 OBJECTIVES: To quantify the frequency and type of new safety information arising from studies performed under the auspices of the Pediatric Exclusivity Program, to describe the dissemination of these findings in the peer-reviewed literature and compare thi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Unrelated Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation is an Effective Therapy for Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome

Journal Article Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation · February 2009 Full text Cite

The economic returns of pediatric clinical trials of antihypertensive drugs.

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2008 BACKGROUND: Congress has authorized the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide industry sponsors with a 6-month extension of drug marketing rights under the Pediatric Exclusivity Provision if FDA-requested pediatric drug trials are con ... Full text Link to item Cite