Unlocking the secrets found with the human body is the goal of researcher working within the biological sciences. One of the most exciting findings of the past few decades concerned the debate about embryonic stem cell research. While the media focused on the debate, many people didn\’t understand what the cells actually were. They are, in a word pluripotent, but it\’s easier to think of them as a master cell that can become anything in the human body be it tissue, part of the immune system, or a component within the blood. This opens exciting avenues for disease application that we have been able to witness during the application of cord blood stem cells.

During all of the debate surrounding the ethical questions raised in used embryos, many people didn\’t realize that cord blood had been used for twenty years in the treatment of various diseases. Beyond this source, scientists have been able to find adult stem cells that reside in the bone marrow, but their potency is not the same.

Umbilical cords connect a child to it\’s placenta where all nutrients that aid in its maturation are stored. Both the cord and placenta are filled with pluripotent stem cells. This knowledge has made it standard practice to offer parents the option of having their cord blood harvested and stored.

This is because of its use in the treatment of a number of genetic and hematopoietic disorders. Dealing with a sick child is incredibly taxing on the family and some have resorted to having another child so that their are more avenues for treatment, but this extreme decision is not for everyone and, indeed, is fraught with its own ethical issues.

Fortunately, there are no ethical issues involved in storing cord blood and their value cannot be underestimated. Unlike adult stem cells, the ones found in cord blood are naturally biologically younger. This youth is what frees it from the issues that aging, as well as exposure to things like viruses, do to their older counterparts.

The number one use of cord blood that has had wild success is within the realm of transplantation. Adding this component during a transplant allows for the bypassing of graft vs. Host disease. This disease is the leading cause of rejection among organ transplant recipients and its risk requires patients to stay on a whole cadre of anti-rejection drugs that bring down the overall potency of their immune system leaving them open to all sorts of other illnesses.

With these younger cells they are not as reactionary as regular immune system cells and so transplants can happen more easily and the body will not attack the foreign organ. This can also make the use of anti-rejection drugs a non issue which is integral in long term survival prospects.

If you decide to save your child\’s cord, it\’s also nice to know that the harvesting procedure is simply and painless. In fact, in just five minutes you can have this blood harvested and ready for transfer to a banking facility.

These banks can be quite affordable and as for the life of your sample, there is no expiration date. This is because when it comes to the storage of biological materials, cryogenic freezing is done and this allows samples to be stored indefinitely.

There are a host of potential benefits to storing cord blood that are only going to grow as research continues. Talk with your doctor today about taking this simple and small step in protecting your children from future issues.

Author Bio: Located at Toronto General Hospital, we are a clinic experienced in cord blood banking and cord blood storage. Our specialty includes years of experience in handling cord blood stem cells and specifically umbilical cord blood.

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