In recent times, cord blood seems to offer the best treatment for many life threatening diseases and cord blood banking is in the ‘must do’ list of most parents expecting a baby. Here is a small guide that explains all about newborn umbilical cord blood and its importance.
What is newborn umbilical cord blood?
After a baby is born, the umbilical cord that connects the baby with the mother in the womb is cut off from the baby. Since the baby is out of the womb and no longer needs to be attached with the mother physically, this umbilical cord becomes a waste. The blood that remains in the blood vessels of the unwanted umbilical cord is called umbilical cord blood.
Why newborn umbilical cord blood is so important?
Reason #1: Cord blood is a rich source of stem cells. These stem cells have the ability to develop into other types of cells. They can help repair tissues, organs and blood vessels. Though stem cells are found in other parts of the body, they are not rich enough to be harvested to treat diseases and in some cases harvesting becomes difficult and painful as in bone marrow stem cells harvesting.
Reason #2: In patients with conditions like leukemia (blood cancer); chemotherapy is often used to kill the infected cells. But in the process, some of the healthy cells are also destroyed. This leaves the patients with weak immune system and they become vulnerable to infectious diseases. So doctors perform cord blood stem cell transplant to help create new blood cells and restore the immune system, giving the patients a better chance of making a full recovery.
Reason #3: Unlike the stem cells in bone marrow, stem cells in cord blood are immature and are less likely to be rejected by the patient’s immune system when injected into the blood stream. This makes cord blood an even more valuable resource for people who have a hard time finding bone marrow stem cell matches.
Reason #4: Cord blood will soon be the dominant transplant source for all treatments as adults are also receiving cord blood transplants and have successfully recovered from life threatening diseases.
Diseases that can be treated with cord blood
Cord blood stem cells have been used successfully to treat more than 80 different diseases. Cord blood is the main source of treatment for:
- cancers
- blood disorders
- immune deficiencies
Possible future uses of cord blood
Treatments for children
- Children in clinical trials are being treated with their own cord blood for cerebral palsy and autism.
- Babies and young children are also being treated with their own cord blood stem cells in clinical trials to develop therapies for hydrocephalus (fluid in the brain), oxygen deprivation at birth, traumatic brain injury, type 1 diabetes (juvenile) and hereditary heart defects that require surgery.
If the clinical trials are successful, these therapies may become commonly available within a few years.
Treatments for adults
- Adult cancer patients may one day benefit from their own cord blood stem cells that were collected at birth.
- Most of the stem cell research in adults that uses bone marrow stem cells may begin to use cord blood stem cells. Current trial treatments include diabetes, spinal cord injuries, heart failure, stroke, and neurological disorders.
References:
http://www.stemcellsaustralia.edu.au/About-Stem-Cells/FAQ/What-are-umbilical-cord-stem-cells-.aspx
http://specialsections.suntimes.com/health/13421977-555/advantages-to-saving-umbilical-cord-blood.html