July is one of our favorite months of the year! Why do you ask? It is time to celebrate Cord Blood Awareness Month and spread the word about the impressive superpowers of newborn stem cells.
Cord blood was discovered over 30 years ago as a source of life-saving stem cells used to treat certain cancers and inherited disorders. Why newborn stem cells? Because they can migrate to sites of injury, decreasing inflammation and helping heal damaged tissue.
Regenerative medicine is an area of science that aims to restore or establish normal function in the body. Put simply. It involves repairing damaged cells. For instance, regenerative medicine therapy relies on using partially or fully matched stem cells for a bone marrow transplant to cure disease.
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We have put together answers to some FAQs about regenerative medicine and why newborn stem cell preservation is such a good investment in your family’s future health. Help your family and friends know and spread your new knowledge by sharing this article!
After your baby is born, the blood left inside the umbilical cord is incredibly special. It contains hematopoietic stem cells, which have a 30-year history of helping to save people’s lives through transplant medicine. There is also thrilling research being done using cord blood for regenerative medicine, which aims to harness the cells inside to help the body heal itself.
Umbilical cord tissue is full of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), one of the most researched cell types in regenerative medicine.
Why are scientists so jazzed about MSCs? Because MSCs can respond to inflammation and help repair tissue damage by communicating with other cells in the body by sending and receiving communication signals. Scientists have found they act like a body's personal emergency medical team.
Both cord tissue and cord blood are rich sources of these life-saving stem cells. Newborn stem cell preservation is the act of saving the tissue and blood from the umbilical cord, after birth, for future use.
Cord blood stem cells have been applied in the treatment of over 70 conditions as part of a stem cell transplant. Today, stem cell research continues to develop, bringing new promise to patients and their families.
More than 400 CBR families have already used their preserved cord blood in a stem cell transplant or investigational use. Here is a list of the conditions their stem cells were used for.
Use depends on several factors and is determined by the treating doctor. One of those factors can be genetic matching.
Most cord blood stem cell transplants demand that the stem cells come from a matched donor (like a matched sibling). Still, the individual's own stem cells may be used for certain conditions, especially in the research of regenerative medicine.
Typically, the stronger the match, the better the results. Depending on the condition, a physician may look to use a child's own stem cells or may choose to use those from a partial or full matched donor, like a sibling.
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