The stem cells from cord blood are currently being used to treat a wide variety of medical conditions including cancer, metabolic disorders, blood disorders and immune system disorders. And over 80 life-threatening conditions are currently treated with cord blood stem cells.
The future is also looking bright, with incredible stem cell breakthroughs occurring on a regular basis. Researchers hope to perform cord blood stem cells therapy to treat a wide variety of diseases and injuries in the future, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and diabetes (Cirm.ca.gov, 2015).
But when did this incredible medical discovery started?
World’s First Stem Cell Transplant
The first successful transplant using stem cells occurred almost in 1956, when a young boy received a hematopoietic stem cell treatment from the bone marrow of his twin (Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, 2015). The transplant was used to re-establish the ability to create healthy blood cells after he had received radiotherapy to treat leukaemia.
This kind of stem cell treatment remains very common to this day. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are often used because they can re-establish the body’s ability to produce healthy blood cells after chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments have damaged the bone marrow. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments remain the most common methods for treating cancer. The transplanted stem cells can enter the patient’s bone marrow, multiply and begin to produce healthy blood cells.
Over the next few decades bone marrow transplants become more common. Some of the most important events since that time include:
| 1958 | HLA-antigens were discovered: Scientists discover proteins on cells that inform the body if cells are foreign and should be attacked. It helps them understand if a stem cell transplant will be compatible. |
| 1968 | First bone marrow transplant between siblings |
| 1973 | First unrelated bone marrow transplant |
| 1974 | Scientists discover stem cells from cord blood |
| 1980s | Governments and regulatory bodies create frameworks to support stem cell transplants |
The first successful cord blood stem cells therapy occurred in 1988, when a young boy with Fanconi Anaemia received stem cells from cord blood of his newborn sister (Gluckman & Rocha, 2005). That young boy was cured of the condition and is alive and well today.
Current Uses of Stem Cells from the Cord Blood
Since 1988, more than 35,000 cord blood stem cells therapy have taken place around the world (parentsguidetocordblood.org).
Stem cells from cord blood are often used because the less mature cells it contains are less likely to be rejected by the recipient. Currently, 1 in 3 hematopoietic stem cell transplants are performed using stem cells from the cord blood, a figure that continues to increase as the number of cord blood units in storage increases (Cancer.org, 2015).
Today, stem cells are used to treat a wide variety of illnesses (Verter, 2015):
- Cancers
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), Acute Biphenotypic Leukemia, Acute Undifferentiated Leukemia, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (Burkitt’s Lymphoma), Neuroblastoma, Medulloblastoma, Retinoblastoma and more. - Anaemia
Refractory Anaemia, Aplastic Anaemia, Fanconi Anaemia, Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anaemia, Sickle Cell Disease, Beta Thalassemia Major (a.k.a. Cooley’s Anemia), Diamond-Blackfan Anemia, Pure Red Cell Aplasia and more. - Immune System Disorders
Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome, Pearson’s Syndrome, Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome. - Metabolic Disorders
Hurler Syndrome (MPS-IH), Scheie Syndrome (MPS-IS), Hunter Syndrome (MPS-II), Sanfilippo Syndrome (MPS-III), Morquio Syndrome (MPS-IV), Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome (MPS-VI) and more.
The Future Cord Blood Stem Cells Therapy
Stem cells from the cord blood have the capacity to differentiate into a number of different types of cells — an ability called pluripotency. For example, the Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) that are found in the cord blood are capable of differentiating into various types of cells including osteoblasts (bone cells), myocytes (muscle cells), chondrocytes (cartilage cells) and adipocytes (fat cells) (Harris, 2013).
This ability opens up a wide range of potential applications because these stem cells from the cord blood can be used to regenerate many types of tissue within the human body.
Scientists are investigating the potential of cord blood stem cells therapy to treat a wide range of conditions including:
- Acute liver failure
- Cirrhosis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Autoimmune diseases
- Cystic fibrosis
- Spinal injuries
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Stroke
- Myocardial infarction
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Macular degeneration, Stargardt’s disease and retinitis pigmentosa
- Parkinson’s diseases
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
- Huntington’s disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
(Tanna & Sachan, 2015; Volarevic, Nurkovic, Arsenijevic & Stojkovic, 2014; Dazzi & Horwood, 2015; Ramsden et al., 2013; Dasari, 2014)
Related Posts:
History of Cord Blood Stem Cells: Discovery & Latest Updates
10 Awesome Cord Blood Discoveries in 2017
The range of potential clinical applications continues to grow and the results from the research remain very positive.
Sources
- Cirm.ca.gov,. (2015). The Power of Stem Cells | California’s Stem Cell Agency. Retrieved 12 October 2015, from https://www.cirm.ca.gov/patients/power-stem-cells
- Dasari, V. (2014). Mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of spinal cord injuries: A review. World Journal Of Stem Cells, 6(2), 120. http://dx.doi.org/10.4252/wjsc.v6.i2.120
- Dazzi, F., & Horwood, N. (2015). Potential of mesenchymal stem cell therapy. – PubMed – NCBI. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 19 October 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17906466
- Gluckman, E. (2009). History of cord blood transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplantation, 44(10), 621-626. doi:10.1038/bmt.2009.280
- Gluckman, E., & Rocha, V. (2005). History of the clinical use of umbilical cord blood hematopoietic cells. Cytotherapy, 7(3), 219-227. doi:10.1080/14653240510027136
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. (2015). Retrieved 11 October 2015, from biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI108/BI108_2007_Groups/group03/history.html
- Harris, D. (2013). Umbilical Cord Tissue Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Characterization and Clinical Applications. CSCR, 8(5), 394-399. http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1574888×11308050006
- Ramsden, C., Powner, M., Carr, A., Smart, M., da Cruz, L., & Coffey, P. (2013). Stem cells in retinal regeneration: past, present and future. Development, 140(12), 2576-2585. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/dev.092270
- Tanna, T., & Sachan, V. (2015). Mesenchymal stem cells: potential in treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. – PubMed – NCBI. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 19 October 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25248677
- Volarevic, V., Nurkovic, J., Arsenijevic, N., & Stojkovic, M. (2014). Concise Review: Therapeutic Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of Acute Liver Failure and Cirrhosis. STEM CELLS, 32(11), 2818-2823. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/stem.1818
- Verter, D. (2015). Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood. Parentsguidecordblood.org. Retrieved 26 October 2015, from http://parentsguidecordblood.org/diseases.php#standard