What are stem cells and how are they used?
Stem cells are the body’s “master” cells because they create all other tissues, organs, and systems in the body. The stem cells found in cord blood are the building blocks of your blood and immune system and most readily replicate into: Red Blood Cells – which carry oxygen to all the cells in the body, White Blood Cells – which fight infection, and Platelets – which aid in clotting in the event of injury. There are three sources where stem cells are commonly found, they are: • Bone Marrow, • Peripheral Blood (the blood that circulates through your body), and • Umbilical Cord Blood. The ability of cord blood stem cells to differentiate, or change into other types of cells in the body is a new discovery that holds significant promise for improving the treatment of some of the most common diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s. Currently, stem cells are primarily used in transplant medicine to regenerate a patient’s blood and immune system after they have been treated wit
