Dutch doctor suspected of illegally conducting cord blood transfusions for 200 foreign children
Anesthesiologist Jens Fischer de Brabander in Veldhoven is under investigation after being accused of administering illegal experimental treatments using umbilical cord blood to over 200 children from abroad. Most of these children have been diagnosed with autism, and a smaller number have cerebral palsy. Dutch health authorities confirmed that these treatments were conducted without the necessary permits.
Donated umbilical cord blood from a Slovak blood bank was used and transported frozen to the Netherlands. Procedures have been carried out over the past two years in hotel rooms instead of medical facilities, raising concerns about patient safety. Dutch regulatory authorities have banned Fischer de Brabander from conducting any future umbilical cord blood transfers.
Inspectors visited his home in December 2024 after receiving a report, where they reviewed patient files and interviewed the doctor. It was reported that the treatments were conducted in collaboration with the Swiss company Cord Blood Center Health (CBC), and most of the children treated in 2023 and 2024 were from outside the Netherlands.
Fischer de Brabander claimed that some children showed improvement, including a reduction in celiac disease symptoms and improved athletic abilities in some patients. However, these observations were based on self-reports from patients or their parents, not on documented scientific results.
Experts warn that stem cell treatments carry significant risks and are usually performed in hospitals to ensure patient safety monitoring. Fisher de Brabander acknowledged that local hospitals were not prepared to provide follow-up care for these experimental treatments. Studies, including one from Duke University, indicate that there is no compelling evidence that a single injection of umbilical cord blood improves social skills or reduces symptoms of autism, emphasizing the need for further research.