The umbilical cord connects a baby to the placenta during pregnancy. After birth, the blood left in the umbilical cord and placenta, called cord blood, is a rich source of stem cells.Collecting and storing
Cord blood is collected after the baby is born and the cord has been clamped and cut. This is painless and does not harm the mother or baby. The stem cells can be frozen and stored in cord blood banks for many years, either for the family's own use or donated for other patients.Potency
Cord blood contains mainly blood-forming stem cells. These are multipotent: they can differentiate into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, but not into all body cells.Uses
Cord blood stem cells can be used instead of bone marrow transplants to treat diseases of the blood and immune system, such as leukaemia, some types of anaemia including sickle cell disease, and some inherited immune disorders.Advantages
• Collecting them does not harm anyone and no embryo is destroyed, so there are far fewer ethical objections than for embryonic stem cells.
• The cells are immature, so they are less likely to cause harmful immune reactions. The tissue match between donor and patient does not need to be as close as for bone marrow.Disadvantages
• They are multipotent, so they cannot form as many cell types as embryonic stem cells.
• Each sample contains only a small number of stem cells, which may not be enough to treat an adult.
• Private storage is expensive, and the chance of a family needing its own stored cells is low.
Cord blood is collected after the baby is born and the cord has been clamped and cut. This is painless and does not harm the mother or baby. The stem cells can be frozen and stored in cord blood banks for many years, either for the family's own use or donated for other patients.Potency
Cord blood contains mainly blood-forming stem cells. These are multipotent: they can differentiate into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, but not into all body cells.Uses
Cord blood stem cells can be used instead of bone marrow transplants to treat diseases of the blood and immune system, such as leukaemia, some types of anaemia including sickle cell disease, and some inherited immune disorders.Advantages
• Collecting them does not harm anyone and no embryo is destroyed, so there are far fewer ethical objections than for embryonic stem cells.
• The cells are immature, so they are less likely to cause harmful immune reactions. The tissue match between donor and patient does not need to be as close as for bone marrow.Disadvantages
• They are multipotent, so they cannot form as many cell types as embryonic stem cells.
• Each sample contains only a small number of stem cells, which may not be enough to treat an adult.
• Private storage is expensive, and the chance of a family needing its own stored cells is low.