What disease types are treated with stem cell transplantation?

Stem Cells have the ability to cure many diseases. Recently, scientists have discovered some new possibilities for treating many diseases and injuries in the future.

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What is cord blood?

Cord blood, which is also called "placental blood," is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta following birth and after the cord is cut. Cord blood is routinely discarded with the placenta and umbilical cord. Your baby's umbilical cord blood is a valuable source of stem cells, which are genetically unique to your baby and family.

What are some ways to store cord blood?

It is my opinion that a cord blood unit should be processed with the goal of saving as many cells as possible. This also includes the red cell layer because to remove these cells, you will inadvertinately remove stem cells.

Are cord blood stem cells different than other stem cells?

Cord blood stem cells are different from other stem cells. Stem cells from Umbilical cords are the youngest of all the stem cells, created by a live birth. Another form of stem cells come from embryo's. These embroyonic stem cells are not currently being used to treat humans. A third type of stem cells is found in bone marrow, which are adult stem cells.

Why are doctors turning to cord blood rather than bone marrow?

Doctors are turning to cord blood rather than bone marrow for a few reasons. Once is that bone marrow is difficult to match between the recipient and donar. Normally a perfect match is required in most instances. However, since cord blood cells are the youngest of the cells, it can be used successfully even if there is less than a perfect match.

Another reason is due to availability. The banking of cord blood stem cells allows for immediate availability at the time of treatment.

What are some reasons families choose to collect and store their baby's cord blood?

The main reason why families choose to collect and store their baby's cord blood is because each childs stem cells are genetically unique. Many parents save the cord blood stem cells of each individual child to ensure an exact match in the need of treatment. Even in the case of identical twins, each child's cord blood should be banked separately.