Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells-Future Of Stem Cell Research
Newborn infants do not require umbilical cords after their birth and so they are discarded as a by-product of the birth process. However, in recent years, scientists and researchers all over the world have realized the importance of umbilical cord blood stem cells in treating various types of diseases. The availability and versatility of umbilical cord blood stem cells make them a potent tool for transplant therapies.
Collection of umbilical cord blood cells consists of a simple procedure and doesn’t involve any kind of risk to you or your child.
A surgery is required to obtain bone marrow stem cells, whereas medications are induced to obtain blood stem cells. On the other hand, obtaining umbilical cord blood stem cells does not require any time-consuming or complicated procedure. After the umbilical cord blood stem cells are kept in storage, they can be made available easily and in less time if required for a treatment.
If your child is suffering from complications such as severe Fanconi anemia, umbilical cord blood cells may prove very beneficial, as these cells act as a source of marrow-repopulating cells and they can be used to restructure marrow in your child.
Umbilical cord blood stem cells in cancer treatment:
Earlier, a patient at a last stage of leukemia had no chance of surviving. However, with umbilical cord blood stem cells, you can have a new lease of life even if you have been diagnosed with leukemia and are at the last stage. Umbilical cord cells have proved to be effective in treating over 70 hematologic (blood-related) diseases, including certain types of anemia and leukemia.
Leukemia treatment generally involves high-dose radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. Although these high doses are effective in killing cancer cells, they also harm the healthy cells. This can cause severe and life-threatening side effects.
Hence, to optimize the effect of radiation therapy or chemotherapy and reduce the potential risks involved in the process, umbilical cord blood stem cells can be delivered to you following the chemotherapy and radiation. These stem cells will then grow in your body and replace your stem cells that were destroyed in the process of chemo-radiation therapy. This will result in a new line of red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets that you need to survive.
Besides restoring the damaged stem cells, umbilical cord blood stem cells can also attack your cancer cells, providing an added source of anticancer activity.
Advantages of umbilical cord blood stem cells:
1. As umbilical cord blood stem cells are comparatively better at tolerating differences between the donor and recipient, this minimizes your chances of suffering from graft-versus-host disease (a complication in which the grafted cells attack the host).
2. Umbilical cord blood stem cells also lower the risk of the transmission of an infectious disease.
3. Umbilical cord blood stem cells also have a much greater ability than bone marrow to generate new blood cells. Thus, a smaller amount of cord blood cells is required for a successful transplantation.
4. Umbilical cord blood stem cells have a rich content of mesenchymal progenitor cells and contain a large amount of endothelial cell precursors.
Thus, with so many benefits, umbilical cord blood stem cells can prove a promising aspect of stem cell research.
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