What are cord blood stem cells?
Cord blood stem cells are stem cells collected from the umbilical cord blood at birth. These stem cells are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods. Stem cells can develop into replacement cells for damaged organs or body parts. They also have the potential to give rise to specialized stem cells such as blood, heart, skin or muscle cells.
Cells in the umbilical cord are “multipotent” and can give rise to all the cells in normal bone marrow. Scientists are working to discover if cord blood stem cells can multiply and become other types of adult stem cells. For this reason many new parents have their new baby’s umbilical cord blood cryopreserved for potential future use.
Stem cells are immature cells that can transform into other kinds of cells and reproduce themselves. Cord blood stem cells are collected in the umbilical cord at birth and can produce all of the blood cells in the body. Cord blood stem cells can be used to treat blood-related diseases, such as leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia, and others. They can also treat people whose bone marrow has been damaged by chemotherapy or radiation. During treatment, these cells are injected into the bloodstream. Once there, doctors hope that they will make new, healthy blood cells. Experts hope that very primitive embryonic stem cells will become treatment for all sorts of diseases in the future, such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and other conditions. But right now, these applications are only theoretical.
