Stem cells, also known as master cells are a class of undifferentiated cells from which all other specialised cell types are developed. What is stem cell research? Doctors and researchers have been conducting several studies on the unique characteristics and properties of stem cells. Embryo and adult tissues are the major sources of stem cells. Adult stem cells are found in brain, bone marrow, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, skin and liver. Recent discovery of stem cell presence in umbilical cord blood was a new milestone in stem cell research.
Why expectant parents should think about banking or donating the cord blood? Blood found in the new-born’s umbilical cord is a rich source of stem cells. Adult stem cells found in the umbilical cord blood has the remarkable potential to divide or self-renew indefinitely. Immunologically naive hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) present in the cord blood can develop into multitude of blood cells and that is what makes it ideal for the treatment of a wide variety of disorders. Acute leukemia, aplastic anemia, hodgkin’s disease, myelodysplastic syndromes, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and sickle cell disease are some of the many diseases that can be treated with the cord blood stem cell therapies. Not just the cord blood, but cord tissue cells also offer several benefits. Treatment of spinal cord injuries, heart diseases, Parkinson’s disease, cartilage disorders and cardiovascular diseases are some of the prospective cord tissue banking benefits.
Collecting the cord blood is a quick, safe and painless procedure that poses no harm to the mother or the baby. Umbilical cord is clamped and cut right after the child birth, followed by extracting the blood to a sterile collection bag. Soon after the extraction, it is send to the cord blood bank for testing, processing and storage. Having a good knowledge about the cord blood and cord tissue banking benefits can help the expectant parents to take an informed decision.
Cord Blood | Family cord Banking | Umbilical cord stem cells 