What is unique about stem cells from baby teeth or umbilical cords?
A. Stem cells from umbilical cord blood or the pulp under baby teeth are “younger” stem cells than those obtained from adults. They are able to divide for longer times in cell cultures than most adult stem cells, and may give rise to different tissues. Their potential to form many different cell types is currently being explored. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are used for stem cell transplantation to reconstitute blood cell formation (the haematopoietic system) in patients that have been irradiated or treated with specific drugs for cancer or leukaemia. Also, in some genetic diseases, where patients have a problem forming normal blood cells, a transplantation of matched umbilical cord blood cells can give them a new blood-forming system. The new cells are infused into the vein of the patient and then they are able to find their way into the bone marrow, in a process called “stem cell homing.
Stem cells from umbilical cord blood or the pulp under baby teeth are “younger” stem cells than those obtained from adults. They are able to divide for longer times in cell cultures than most adult stem cells, and may give rise to different tissues. Their potential to form many different cell types is currently being explored.
