ECNS Wire reports that the umbilical cord blood frozen for 11 years has been used to save the life of a woman in China.
The umbilical cord blood was donated to a public stem cell bank in May 2004, in the Sichuan province in China. Since then it had been stored at a temperature of minus 196 degrees Celsius.
The patient, known by the pseudonym “Chen Ling”, was diagnosed with myeloproliferative disorder. The condition meant that her body could not produce red blood cells, a condition that commonly leads to leukaemia. Blood transfusions were used to keep Chen alive. In March of this year she had a serious lung infection that put her life at risk, doctors realised they would need to find a treatment quickly.
Doctors looked for a stem cell treatment, but could not find a match for the hematopoietic stem cells that she needed. Eventually the umbilical cord blood was located and used in a transfusion on April 18. After seven weeks of hospitalisation, Chen was declared healthy.
Wang Ruifeng, a researcher from Sichuan explained that umbilical cord blood remains viable for long periods, as long as it is not repeatedly frozen and thawed. Ruifeng suggests that cryogenically preserved stem cells may remain viable for hundreds of years.
Source: Frozen for 11 years, umbilical cord blood saves life
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