How is umbilical cord storage used in medicine?
Umbilical cord blood, which used to be thrown off as a sanitary waste, today preserves the blood cells present in the blood for the treatment of various diseases. Doctors prefer the use of blood in stem cell transplantation therapies. It is because this blood is more tolerant to a new host and can use without complete correspondence.
Pediatric and adult patients with bone marrow failure, immunodeficiency, some cancers, and genetic disorders may benefit from hematopoietic cell transplantation. Even genetic diseases, including congenital disabilities of hemoglobinopathies and metabolism, can be treated with this therapy.
If you decide for umbilical cord preservation, the child can benefit from autologous treatments, including tumors such as neuroblastoma. Cord blood cells can use in Phase II studies with type 1 diabetes and cerebral palsy. Cells can also be used to treat hereditary diseases in a brother. When a child needs a donor, it can use the cells of a family member for allogeneic use.
Research on blood and tissues from the umbilical cord:
Not only blood but also experts are exploring the benefits of umbilical cord tissue. The cells that are in the blood can regenerate the organ tissues, the immune system, and blood to treat tumors, bone marrow syndromes, metabolic disorders, and blood disorders. Clinical trials are underway to investigate how to use these cells in regenerative therapies. Research is currently underway to determine the usefulness of these cells in the treatment of sickle cell anemia.
Cells recovered from the tissue can regenerate other cells along with connective tissue and structural tissue. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are abundant in umbilical cord tissue. It is said to have tremendous therapeutic potential.
Advantages of cells from the umbilical cord:
Transplant frequency is higher for cells harvested from this blood. It reduces the risk of having a GVHD (graft versus host disease) after transplantation.
Cells from umbilical cord blood are easily accessible. If parents choose a private umbilical, the research and matching process will not take time.
The chances of latent virus contamination are lower in these cells as the body better accepts them.
