Cord blood stem cells: Current Uses

Expectant parents have a number of major decisions to make as they prepare to welcome the new member to family. One of the big financial decisions is about banking the cord blood. If you are wondering what is cord blood, then let us explain. The umbilical cord that connects the mother to the growing fetus is cut after the birth. A small amount of blood remains in the blood vessels of the placenta and cord even after the delivery, which is termed as cord blood. In addition to the normal elements of blood (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma), cord blood contains multipotent stem cells. These unspecialized cells with self-renewing capabilities can give rise to other cell types. However, the specialization potential of multipotent stem cells is limited to one or more cell lines. Presence of mutipotent stem cells in cord blood and cord tissues makes it life saving resource. And that is why medial communities are encouraging the expectant parents to bank or donate the cord blood rather than throwing it away. Cost of cord blood banking is worthy, especially if your family has a history of genetic disease.

Newborn’s cord blood is used for treating several life threatening disorders including several forms of leukemia, lymphoma and anemia. Hematopoietic stem cells or blood forming stem cells found in the umbilical cord blood is used as an alternative to bone marrow for transplantations. Bone marrow donation demands surgery whereas cord blood stem cell collection poses no medical risk or incisive procedures. Severe graft vs host disease (GvHD) is common with mismatched grafts of bone marrow transplants, but the chances of GvHD is less frequent and easier to treat among the cord blood transplant patients. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are used for transplants and regenerative medicine research. Scientists and experts believe that cord blood and cord tissue stem cells have the potential to revolutionize the future of medicine. 

Facts about Cord Blood Stem Cell Banking

Advancements in science and technology have transformed the field of healthcare and medicine over

the last decade. Let us take stem cell research as an example. Being one of the promising areas of biomedical research, stem cell biology has received wide attention. According to researchers, stem cell science has the potential to change the scope and future of regenerative medicine. However, harvesting and collection of stem cells is always surrounded by several set of ethical controversies. That is when cord blood stem cell banking came into limelight. Before we delve into the details of cord blood banking, let us find out what cord blood is. As you may know, umbilical cord connects the foetus with placenta and is responsible for providing oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the growing embryo. After the baby is born, umbilical cord is cut. But even after the child birth, there will be some amount of blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta. This is termed as cord blood(CB) or placental blood. Around 180 ml of cord blood can be collected right after the child birth. What makes the umbilical cord blood so valuable? It is the presence of blood forming hematopoietic stem cells that offers a life-saving status to the CB. Not just the cord blood, but the cord tissue also contains Mesenchymal stem cells.

Stem cells harvested from the baby’s cord blood are used to treat several medical conditions such as leukaemia, lymphoma, immune deficiencies and other genetically inherited disorders. Generally, the cancerous cells are destroyed through chemotherapy and radiation procedures. Later, the stem cells are transplanted to restore the function of damaged cells. Cord blood stem cells are an effective alternative to bone marrow transplants. More and more expectant parents are banking their child’s cord blood these days. Those who can’t afford the high costs of cord blood banking are encouraged to donate it to public banks.

What is Cord Blood Banking & Why You should opt it?

If you are an expectant parent, then you may have heard about the baby blood cord banking. Like most people, you may be wondering about the special features of the so-called cord blood. What is cord blood and what makes it so special? Blood present in the placenta and umbilical cord is termed as cord blood (CB). In addition to the normal elements of blood such as red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma, CB is rich in stem cells (Hematopoietic Stem Cells). Powerful stem cells can give rise to any tissue or organ cells of the body. Moreover, these master cells are unspecialised and can be used to replace or repair the tissues that have been damaged by diseases. Not only the cord blood, but the cord tissue also contains Mesenchymal Stem cells (MSCs) that have afforded promise in the treatment of medical conditions affecting cartilage, muscle and nerve cells. According to the scientists, cord tissue benefits and applications have a great role to play in the future of regenerative medicine research.

So now you are clear about what cord blood is. But have you ever thought how stem cells can treat the cancer conditions? Let us consider lymphoma as an example. It is a form of cancer that affects the lymphatic system (Immune system of our body). During the first stage, cancerous cells in the bone marrow are destroyed through chemotherapy and radiation procedures. The next step is to transplant the stem cells in bone marrow so that it can restore the function by producing blood forming cells and tissues of the body. As we mentioned earlier, cord blood stem cells have self-renewal properties which makes it a perfect alternative for bone marrow transplant. Moreover, umbilical cord blood possesses little risk of graft-versus-host disease which helps it to integrate with the body better. Currently, umbilical cord blood is used to treat more than 80 diseases including cancers, blood disorders, immune deficiency conditions and more. So to cut short, baby cord blood banking and cord blood donation is a life-saving medical service that you can opt for.

What is Cord Blood & Cord Tissue?

If you are an expectant parent, then you might be probably busy with a lot of planning such as meeting the doctor, discussing different health issues, setting up the nursery, planning the baby shower and more. But have you ever thought about banking your new-born’s cord blood? Most of us will agree that it is one of the rarely discussed topics. But having a detailed understanding about the medical benefits of cord blood (CB) can help you in taking informed decisions regarding its banking. First of all, let’s find out what cord blood is. As we all know umbilical cord connects a baby in the womb to its mother and provides him with oxygen and nutrients. And that is why umbilical cord is considered as the lifeline of developing embryo or foetus. Soon after the child birth, this cord is cut and discarded away. But now research has shown that the blood present in the baby’s cord contains adult stem cells. Umbilical cord blood tissue, being a rich source of stem cells can be collected and stored for several therapeutical applications and research purposes. 

Not just the blood present in the cord, but even the tissue of the umbilical cord is used in the field of stem cell research and regenerative medicine therapy. Collection ofcord blood and tissue is a quick and pain-less procedure carried out right after the child birth. But what exactly is the difference between cord blood and cord tissue? CB is a rich source of blood-forming cells or Haematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs), whereas umbilical cord tissue contains Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that can differentiate into a variety of cell types. Another notable difference is that while cord blood has been used for treating more than 80 diseases, cord tissue is only available in clinical trials at this point of time. But according to the researchers, the future of cord tissue stem cell based therapy looks bright and promising. Expectant parents who wish to reap the therapeutical benefits of CB may consider banking it. Those who can’t afford the higher cord blood banking prices can also donate their new-born’s cord blood.

Benefits of Banking Cord Blood & Cord Tissue

The field of stem cell research have made significant stride in the recent years and the discovery of stem cell presence in umbilical cord blood was one of the remarkable achievements. Have you been thinking what exactly cord blood is? Blood left in the umbilical cord and placenta is termed as the cord blood (CB). Until recently, both the umbilical cord and placenta were discarded as medical waste right after the child birth. But during the 1970s, researchers discovered that the umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells. Also known as the master cells, adult stem cells possess remarkable potential to develop into a complete array of tissue and organ cells of the body. Cord blood contains haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that are responsible for maintaining blood production in our body. On the other hand, cord tissue contains Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) that have the potential to differentiate into cartilage cells, bone cells and fat cells. Several clinical trials are underway exploring the therapeutical cord tissue benefits and applications. 

Currently, umbilical cord blood is used to treat more than 80 life-threatening diseases. Some of the major conditions include cancers, blood diseases and immune deficiency disorders. HSCs present in the umbilical cord blood develop into red cells, white cells and platelets further restoring the body’s ability to produce blood. Patients with cancerous blood disorders are treated with chemotherapy or radiation, which reduces the stem cells in the bone marrow. Cord blood stem cell transplant helps to replace the damaged blood forming cells with healthy HSCs. Since the collection of cord blood is easier and probability of complications is slighter, CB transplants have become a safe and effective alternative to bone marrow stem cell transplants. On the other hand, researchers continue to investigate the therapeutical cord tissue benefits thereby offering promising hope for the treatment of several debilitating conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke, spinal cord injury, diabetes and more.

What Is Cord Blood?

If you are contemplating with the idea of saving your newborn baby’s cord blood, you may find yourself confused with a lot of questions. So here are some top questions answered to clear out your concerns. 

1. What is cord blood?
   The blood left in the newborn’s umbilical cord and blood vessels of placenta right after the child birth is known as cord blood (CB). This blood is rich in hematopoietic stem cells and the cord tissue consists of Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
2. What is stem cell research and how it is related to cord blood banking?
   Stem cells have the remarkable potential to become any type of specialized cell. Another significant characteristic is its self-renewing capacity, which makes it an ideal choice for degenerative medicine therapy. Stem cells are classified into embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. While embryonic stem cell research has been facing a lot of ethical controversies, researchers and scientists have been working on the adult stem cell transplants and therapies. That is when the presence of adult stem cells was discovered in umbilical cord blood, which further led to its banking.
3. How is cord blood collected?
   Unlike the bone marrow harvest, cord blood collection is a quick and painless procedure that poses no harm to the baby or mother. Umbilical cord is clamped and cut immediately after the child birth. The blood present in the umbilical cord is drained to a gravity bag. 
4. What diseases does cord blood cure?
   Currently, CB is used to treat more than 80 life-threatening diseases and disorders. Cancer, blood disorders, immune disorders and metabolic disorders are some of them. It can also be used to treat certain set of inherited genetic conditions. Several clinical trials and research is currently  investigating the potential of CB stem cells to treat many other debilitating conditions. And that is the exact reason why physicians and scientists encourage saving newborn baby’s cord blood and also consider it as a wise investment to secure the future health of your child and  family. 

You can also have a brief discussion with your doctor to find more information regarding the cord blood banking services.

Why you need to save your baby's cord blood?

With the success in the research of placenta blood therapy, researchers have now achieved a big mile stone in medical science. Many among us still do not have a clear knowledge about what is cord blood. In simple lay man words, cord blood is the blood found in the umbilical cord. It is a sample of blood that is taken from a baby's naval cord after its birth. Once the child is born the obstetrician cuts the cord connecting the baby with its mother. The blood found in the umbilical cord or the placenta after separating the baby from its mother is known as cord blood. It is very important for any expecting parent to know what is cord blood before deciding to preserve their child’s s cord blood at any stem cell bank. Unlike other cord banks, we at provide our customers with the truthful information about the stem cells and cord tissue therapy.

 

For us, each and every expecting parent is of high importance. Not because they invest bucks at our umbilical cord blood banking laboratory, but because they have taken the right and significant decision of gifting the most precious gift to their children’s, we firmly believe that an investment in cord blood banking is a worthwhile step as it simply means to secure your little baby's future health against 80 deadly diseases including diabetes, bone marrow failure, blood disorders, cancers and many other. CariCord is one of its kind cord tissue banking laboratory that has 10,000 clean and well maintained hygienic rooms for preserving your baby's cord tissues for more than 15 years at quite reasonable rates.

Hopefully you would have now clearly understood the answer to the question, why save baby's cord blood? By storing the cord tissues, you are simply securing the health of all your family members. Stem cell therapy offers immense advantages which we never had before. We lost many of our loved one in the past years due to infections from deadly incurable diseases. But now with the success in umbilical therapy, we now have the facility of protecting our loved ones. Also, with the help of stem cells, we can now successfully replace the damaged cells with new cells, providing a lease of life to the patient’s. So, don't you think this therapy is very powerful and has the potential of securing your families health against any critical medical situation! Many expecting parents have understood its importance and have started registering themselves with FDA approved cord banks like CariCord, without having any doubts about why save baby's cord blood. The ball is now in your court. Your one decision with a small investment can secure the future health of your precious children’s and loved ones.