What medical treatments use cord blood?
Transplants of cord blood stem cells have been used for many years to treat disorders that include malignant and non-malignant conditions such as blood cancers, rare inherited disorders of metabolism, diseases of the immune system, and more. Treatment of these disorders using cord blood is not experimental. Research on emerging therapies in which the patient’s own cells are used to repair the body may expand the application of cord blood that is stored for personal use. Scientists are studying whether cord blood can be used to treat other common disorders of the heart, bones, liver, brain, as well as other conditions including diabetes, and Parkinson’s Disease. How can cord blood help? The stem cells in cord blood are important because they make many different types of cells in the body. Stem cells in cord blood can help build new, healthy cells and can be transplanted in persons to treat a number of life-threatening conditions. Cord blood can be used in autologous transplants (when an
