All You Wanted To Know About Umbilical Cord Stem Cells
Stem cells are a type of undifferentiated stem cells that have the ability to differentiate into varieties of specialized cells.
An umbilical cord is the cord, which supplies essential nutrients and oxygen to the baby in the womb. These cords were traditionally discarded after the birth of an infant, as they were deemed useless. However, this was before the discovery that the umbilical cord contains stem cells in abundant quantities. The stem cells found in umbilical cord are known as umbilical cord stem cells or placental stem cells.
The cord blood and the cord tissue are sources of 2 different types of stem cells: haemopoietic stem cells (blood cell producing) and mesenchymal stem cells respectively.
Mesenchymal stem cells are adult stem cells that are also found in the bone marrow. They have the ability to form varieties of specialized cells of organs such as bones, cartilage, muscle and fat. These cells are found in the matrix called Wharton’s jelly.
Umbilical cord stem cells can be stored for a long period and are available for use readily whenever required.
Your cord stem cells can be used for own use (autologous use) or for a family member and other unrelated patients (related or unrelated allogenic use).
Other sources for stem cells also exist but umbilical cord is the most easily accessible source.
Umbilical cord stem cell transplant has many advantages. These cells are less likely to be rejected because their immunity is not well developed. The chances of these cells attacking your immune system are very less.
You can store your stem cells in a stem cell bank. These banks are either privately owned or publicly owned.
Stem cell therapy is very popular among the patients, because it is less invasive in nature than other treatments and has high chances of success.
Many therapeutic uses for umbilical cord blood have been discovered. They have been used successfully to restore full operating functions to patients with spinal cord injuries. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are most commonly used in the treatment of some forms of cancer such as lymphoma and leukemia and other blood related diseases.
They have been used successfully in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Not all previous treatments were effective because they were recognized by the body as foreign bodies and eliminated by the immune system. Umbilical cord stem cell therapy has circumvented this problem.
As a parent, you should consider preserving the umbilical cord of your baby after birth. A single umbilical cord can produce up to 160 ml of blood. This blood is first collected in a sterile tank and then transported to a storage center. In this center, the blood is tested for infectious diseases and other impurities. Once the blood sample has cleared all the tests, it is frozen cryogenically, which causes the live blood cells to suspend all activity and go into a state known as cryostasis. This cryostatic blood can be used for transplantation anytime in the future.
Related posts:
