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Cord Blood and Stem Cells
There has been a lot of talk in the
news recently about the positive benefits of retaining
cord blood, and the need to invest time and money in
stem cell research.
Cord Blood is the blood that remains
in the umbilical cord and placenta following birth.
Generally, cord blood is routinely discarded with the
placenta and umbilical cord at the time of birth, but
now research has shown that the blood in the cord is
a rich source of stem cells. This is very important
as stem cells are the building blocks of the blood and
the immune system.
It has become apparent that saving the
cord blood in blood banks, could save the life of the
donor, or members of their family from future diseases.
This is possible because stem cells have the ability
to differentiate into other types of cells in the body,
and thus give rise to all the tissues, organs and systems
in the body. By saving these stem cells, treatments
can be developed for diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimers
and Diabetes - to name but a few.
The stems cells in a child's cord blood
are genetically unique to the baby and its biological
family. As a valuable biological resource, researchers
can use these stems cells to investigate the potential
for future applications, should the child or family
develop health problems later in life. This has brought
about the current trend for many parents to invest in
their own 'health insurance' by storing the stem cells
retained at birth in cord blood banks.
The process of storing the cord blood,
involves drawing the blood from the umbilical cord,
using either the syringe or bag collection method, after
the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut. The blood
is then tested to determine whether it meets eligibility
standards. The red blood cells or plasma are removed
as they will not be needed in transplantation. The blood
is then stored in the cord blood unit - either in a
vinyl or plastic bag in which it is frozen in liquid
nitrogen.
There are two types of cord blood banks...
First, there are the family banks, which
store the umbilical cord for one's own family use.
Second, there are the public donor banks,
which store the blood for unrelated or non-family use
- this can be used for research and development of cures
for many types of health problems.
Every parent has the option of saving
their baby's cord blood for their family use, however,
only a small number of people become eligible to donate
their baby's cord blood stem cells.
There are three sources of stem cells
in the body.
1 - Cells from bone marrow.
2 - Cells from peripheral blood (this
is the blood that circulates through the body).
3 - Cells from umbilical cord blood.
The umbilical blood is significant for
research because it differs from the other types of
stem cells. Due to the structure of the stem cells in
the cord blood, they are less likely to be rejected
by the body when used in a transplant.
This allows for the use of the blood in patients other
than the original donor and results in a higher rate
of success.
Hopefully, some of the points above
help to show the benefits and importance of retaining
cord blood, and the need to invest time and money in
stem cell research.
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