Umbilical stem cells come from the umbilical cord and placenta blood following birth. They can only be harvested after birth and stored for later use in medical applications. The collection does not change the birth and is safe for mother and baby.
Umbilical Cord Stem Cells Advantages and Disadvantages
Cord blood stems cells are used to treat approximately 80 health conditions and is used in experimental treatments for cerebral palsy and Type I Diabetes. These cells have the capability to renew and become specialized in the repair or replacement of damaged and diseased cells.
These stem cells a resembling of adult stem cells because they are specific to certain tissues. Stem cells collected postnatally are readily available and inexpensive with the ability to form different cells types. Scientists have also harvested stem cells from:
- Different fetal tissues
- A fetus
- Amnion/placenta
- Umbilical cord vein
- Umbilical cord matrix cells
Umbilical stem cells are only approved for use in procedures for “hematopoietic stem cell transplantation”. These procedures are used on patients with disorders that affect the blood-forming system. This transplantation is used for patients needing regeneration or regrowth of blood-forming cells.
Examples of these disorders include:
- leukemia
- lymphoma
- sickle cell
- Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome
Although there are several advantages there are also several disadvantages to be aware of.
Potential advantages of cord blood stem cells include:
- have the potential to treat a variety of blood diseases
- matches the recipient more closely
- less chance of rejection
- ready supply and does not harm mother or baby
Disadvantages of cord blood include:
- there is not enough to treat an adult with one collection
- once transplanted, no more cells can be harvested from that source
- cord blood stem cells require more time to graft than bone marrow transplants
- no nationwide system for collection and storage of donated cord blood
To date, there are few hospitals that collect cord blood for later use and some only collect at certain times of the day which limits supplies. Some supplies are saved for use by the donor use at a later time.
Researchers continue to look for options to make a larger supply available and have taken into consideration the possibility of using cord blood from more than one donor per patient.
Most of the stem cells in cord blood are blood-forming stem cells, also known as “hematopoietic” stem cells or HSC. The presence of HSC is what enables cord blood transplants to be used as a substitute for bone marrow transplants. However cord blood transplants have advantages and disadvantages compared to stem cell transplants from adult donors.
The main advantage of cord blood is that it does not have to be exactly matched to the patient like transplants from an adult donor. The main disadvantages are that it is hard to collect enough cord blood to transplant an adult, and cord blood stem cells are slow to engraft. Cord blood also has applications in regenerative medicine. This is due to a combination of additional types of stem cells in cord blood, plus the fact that the cells in cord blood release chemicals that signal the body to heal itself.
These chemicals are called cytokines and the cell-to-cell signaling is called the paracrine effect. Over the past decade infusions of cord blood stem cells have been used around the world as therapy for infants with cerebral palsy and other brain injuries.
Published studies have shown that cord blood stem cells benefit young children with neurologic injury, even though the mechanism of action is not yet fully understood. More studies against control groups are in progress. In the United States, cord blood stem cells have been used in a clinical trial for adults with stroke, and more trials are planned for demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis. In China, cord blood stem cells are in a trial for spinal cord injury.
Most Ask Questions and Answers by Users
What are the benefits of umbilical cord stem cells?
The umbilical cord fluid is loaded with stem cells. They can treat cancer, blood diseases like anemia, and some immune system disorders, which disrupt your body's ability to defend itself. The fluid is easy to collect and has 10 times more stem cells than those collected from bone marrow.
What are the risks of umbilical cord stem cells?
A transplant containing too few HSCs may fail or could lead to slow formation of new blood in the body in the early days after transplantation. This serious complication has been partially overcome by transplanting blood from two umbilical cords into larger children and adults.
Are umbilical stem cells safe?
Stem cells from cord blood are always readily available and on the shelf, so to speak. Some forms of stem cell transplants can get rejected by a patient's body or even cause disease. Using cord blood is the most non-invasive and safest process for stem cell therapy, with a low-rate of infection.
What are the negative effects of stem cell therapy?
Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplant Side Effects
Mouth and throat pain. Mucositis (inflammation or sores in the mouth) is a short-term side effect that can happen with chemo and radiation.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Infection.
- Bleeding and transfusions.
- Interstitial pneumonitis and other lung problems.
- Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD).
- Graft failure.
What diseases can stem cells cure list?
People who might benefit from stem cell therapies include those with spinal cord injuries, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke, burns, cancer and osteoarthritis.
How can we save umbilical cord stem cells?
Cord blood banks freeze the cord blood for storage. You may save your baby's cord blood in a private bank or donate it to a public bank. Private banks charge a fee to store cord blood for your family's use.
Is stem cell therapy permanent?
For many patients, Stem Cell Therapy provides pain relief that can last for years. And in some soft tissue injuries, stem cell therapy can facilitate permanent repair.
Can parents use baby's cord blood?
Even though parents are not usually more than a 50% match, they do have the ability to undergo a haploidentical transplant using the baby's cord blood.
