Cord blood stem cells today are successfully used in saving lives. Used in transplant medicine for over 20-years, newborn, placental fluid is the initiative behind regenerative medical research, for treating brain injuries, juvenile diabetes, cerebral palsy and cardiac repair. These building blocks of organ tissue, blood and immunity are the future of medicine now.

The umbilical cord contains the blood situated in the placenta and attached lifeline after childbirth. This fluid is a rich source of biologically young stem cell material with unique advantages that are invaluable in a variety of medical treatments today. Umbilical stem cells are not generated embryonic material and are not implicated in the research controversy.

These are the body\’s master cells, more advantageous than bone marrow, for regenerating blood and immune cells critical in the treatment of chemotherapy patients, leukemia, cancer and hematologic disorders. Simple, safe, painless retrieval, less risk of complications with transplantation, immediate availability for timely treatment, and the easy, effective ability to freeze this material for protection and indefinite preservation, engenders many benefits absent in the use of bone marrow.

This lifegiving transplant fluid is collected by syringing the placenta via the umbilical cord at childbirth. The placenta is the most valuable source for stem cells, with up to 10-times more of this cellular material than the umbilical cord fluid. Transplant medicine correlates the best end-results through the greatest number of stem cells for improved recovery rate and fewer complications.

The exciting realm of regenerative medicine is a work in progress toward the time when newborn, placental material induces healing or regeneration that repairs organ tissues. As knowledge expands the uses for cord blood it increases the probability for their use in families. Today that equates to a likelihood of one in (217) individuals, during their lifetime, utilizing autologous transplant material or a compatible match from someone else.

Research is predicting that one in three Americans could reap benefits from regenerative medicine as new advancements in treatments become available. The first to have the advantage of new therapies will be those families who have banked their own (autologous) cellular fluid for future medical use. The person\’s own transplant material eliminates the risk of rejection.

Graft versus Host Disease is one of the most common and devastating side effect of transplantation when using cellular fluid from another donor to treat the patient. It remains the leading cause of death following transplant, making it a critical issue. This life-threatening complication results from the body recognizing the material as foreign and attacking it. Family banked, newborn, placental fluid reduces this possibility.

Clinical research trials are underway today examining the impact of infusion of stem cell fluid into children with new diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. Studies are in progress for diverse treatments for stroke, hearing loss and cerebral palsy. Exciting effective treatments are being explored in animal modalities for cardiovascular repair due to infarctions via regenerative medicine.

Harvested cord blood stem cells are cryopreserved, a freezing process that stops the clock, protecting the cellular fluid from environmental effects, aging and common viruses that can negatively affect the body in time. This collected material is stored in a cord blood bank for future transplantation. These banks are either private storage for exclusive genetic material or public storage that provides for unrelated donors.

Author Bio: Located at Toronto General Hospital, we are a cord clinic experienced in cord blood storage and cord blood banking. We are a cord blood Toronto clinic that specializes in stem cell isolation and cord blood storage.

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: health, wellness, medical, blood, clinic, hospital, science, technology, cells, family, business