BRAINCAKEUmbilical Cord Stem Cells
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.
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Key terms in this lesson
- leukaemia
- A cancer of blood-forming tissue, usually the bone marrow, causing production of abnormal white blood cells.
More in Gene Expression
- Cell Differentiation
- Early Stages of Development
- Stem Cells
- Embryonic Stem Cells
- Adult Stem Cells
- Determination of Cell Type
- Evidence for Cell Determination
- Development of an Organism
All 39 lessons in Gene Expression · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics