Cord Blood Banking
Umbilical cord blood is a readily available source of stem cells routinely used with increasing frequency. These cells are progressively seen as viable and probably safer and more effective alternatives to stem cells from bone marrow or bloodstream in treatments of various congenital, developmental, degenerative and malignant disorders in children and adults.
Umbilical cord blood transplantation provides a rich source of stem cells with several advantages, including prompt availability, decreased risk of transmissible viral infections and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in both human leukocyte antigen HLA-matched and HLA-mismatched stem cell transplants, and ease of collection with little risk to mother or newborn.
Stem Cell Facts Diabetes
The most promising treatment of diabetes involves replacement of the beta cells of the pancreas by stem cells derived from humans and cultured to differentiate into insulin positive cells.
Umbilical cord blood has been approved for use by the FDA and other authorities since the late 1980’s. The first umbilicial cord blood transfusion cured a blood cancer in 1988. Over 1,000 cord blood transfusions, frequently in children with leukemia, have been successfully performed in the United States with little or no side effects. Recent research has shown that umbilical cord blood stem cells have similar powers and health promoting benefits as do embryonic stem cells.
Benefits of Cord Blood over Bone Marrow
| Cord Blood | Bone Marrow | |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity of Stem Cells | More | Fewer |
| HLA-Matching | Higher Chances | Lower Chances |
| Safety | Lower Chance of GvHD | Higher Chance of GvHD |
| Chance of Engraftment | Higher: Young Cells | Lower: Older cells |
| Ease of Procurement | Widely available | Less available |
| Chances of Infection | Low | Relatively higher |
| Pain | Painless | Painful |
Benefits of Cord Tissue over Bone Marrow
| Cord Tissue | Bone Marrow | |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity of Stem Cells | More | Fewer |
| Safety | Lower Chance of GvHD | Higher Chance of GvHD |
| Proliferative Properties | Higher | Lower |
| Amplification of Cells | Easy | Difficult |
| Chance of Engraftment | Higher: Young Cells | Lower: Older cells |
| Ease of Procurement | Widely available | Less available |
| Chances of Infection | Low | Relatively higher |
| Pain | Painless | Painful |
Stem Cell FactsCord Blood
At least 21 million Stem Cells, of a potential 500 million, can be banked from a single umbilical cord.
Umbilical Cord Blood & Tissue is an excellent source of highly proliferative stem cells capable of completely reconstituting and repairing an ailing patients organ and system or reversing the disease process. Practical advantages of cord blood include a lower risk and severity of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in HLA matched and unmatched recipients, ease of collection without discomfort or risk to the donor, low chances of infection and prompt availability as a frozen graft.
Stem Cell FactsCord Blood
Over 600,000 families worldwide have banked their cord blood.
As stem cell therapy breaks new ground stem cells derived from the umbilical cord blood are proving to be such a boon to stem cell therapy. It is but natural that the prospect of preservation of umbilical cord blood is gaining momentum. Storage of the stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood means one can preserve and use genetically matched stem cells on hand in case the child or someone else in the family suffers from a treatable blood disorder or needs a bone marrow transplant. There is a 25% genetic match between the siblings and parents, which proves to be the most alluring prospect for expectant couples to bank their child’s cord blood (thus ultimately their stem cells).The use of these stem cells more or less ensures absence of graft-versus-host reaction, which is a huge drawback in cases of organ transplantation.
Stem Cell FactsCord Blood
The baby's cord blood can be used to treat nearly 200 diseases.
The satisfying outcome of stem cell treatments in diseases of bone marrow and also metabolic and storage disorders having been more or less ascertained. The emphasis has shifted in closely observing applications in other pertinent medical disorders. Years of extensive research have started yielding extremely encouraging results and stem cells have finally provided conclusive signs of assuming their rightful spot at the acme of clinical medicine. There is now a paradigm shift in the conceptualization of stem cell therapies by many researchers, doctors and scientists due to its significant impact in reversing many disease processes. The application of stem cells in disorders with no available treatment is especially noteworthy. Stem cell therapies in other prominent disorders with effective conventional therapies have also produced excellent results independently or in combination.
It has been proved through intense research that cord blood is less likely to contain bacteria or viruses which may be harvested from bone marrow, or the bloodstream of adults. Additionally, umbilical cord blood is a richer source of stem cells, that is to say the blood has a higher percentage of stem cells than in bone marrow.
