Researchers from the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia recently published details of a process to obtain more stem cells from umbilical cord tissue. Details of their findings were published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy.
The research team found that freezing additional parts of the umbilical cord could lead to a greater number of stem cells being recovered. In their research, they also found that the perivascular tissues of the umbilical cord (Wharton’s jelly) could be frozen to create a valuable new source of mesenchymal stem cells.
Doctors have been using umbilical cord blood for many years. It contains powerful blood cell-forming stem cells called hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). These cells can be used to re-establish a patient’s ability to produce healthy blood cells. This is particularly useful for treating many forms of cancer, blood diseases, immune system diseases, and metabolic disorders.
Researchers have been working to discover the properties of other kinds of stem cells found within the umbilical cord. They have found that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are extremely powerful as they can be used to create many types of cells, including fat cells, muscle cells, and cartilage cells. The main challenge was getting enough MSCs from a small umbilical cord sample.
The research team looked closely at Wharton’s jelly — a gelatinous material that fills the umbilical cord. Its primary role is to make the umbilical cord flexible and prevent blood clotting.
The found that cryopreserving Wharton’s jelly in liquid nitrogen at -196℃ can safely preserve the MSCs and HSCs that it contains. Timur Fatkhudinov, co-author of the paper, explains: “Storing umbilical blood is a popular procedure all over the world. However, besides it one may also store cells from Wharton’s jelly and the tissues of the umbilical cord itself. It is virtually a source of foetal cells, but their use is not associated with any ethical or legal issues. We suggest freezing parts of the umbilical cord tissue and then defrosting them and using to generate cell cultures.”
They also found that preserving the entire umbilical cord could be up to 2.5 times cheaper than extracting cord blood and processing it separately.
The research team made their findings by analysing scientific studies in the past 30 years to find out how Wharton’s jelly and other components of the umbilical cord may be preserved. They also found that preserving Wharton’s jelly in its entirety may lead to more practical uses the substance.
Source: Researchers demonstrate efficiency of producing stem cells from tissues of the umbilical cord
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