You've probably heard about the mystical power of stem cells.
But did you know how they work and what makes the cord blood stem cells different than all of the other stem cells? Stem Cells Stem cells, in general terms, represent the buds of all of the organ cells in the body.
If the body had its own tool shed, it would have racks of stem cells for all organs.
In such a tool shed, you would only need to have one specimen of stem cell, because any time the cell divides, it creates more stem cells that have the equal power as the original cell--to remain a stem cell or become specialized for a particular organ.
This is true for all stem cells except for blood, muscle, and nerve cells, which do not normally replicate themselves.
To understand this point, it is important to learn about the types of stem cells by purpose.
Types of Stem Cells The chief types of stem cells by purpose are:
They are chiefly derived from human embryonic stem cells.
In comparison, adult stem cells are capable of replicating themselves into more cells for the same purpose as the original cells in order to repair the organ tissue where they reside.
Stromal cells are a kind of cells that form bone, cartilage, fat, and fibrous connective tissue.
Hematopoietic stem cells create red and white blood cells and platelets.
The latest research has shown some promise of hemapoietic cells' capability to form other cells in the body in addition to blood cells.
This type of stem cells is found in baby cord blood and adult bone marrow.
Cord Blood Stem Cells So what role does umbilical cord blood play when it comes to stem cells? It is a rich repository of blood stem cells that can differentiate to create red and white blood cells and platelets, which are crucial in treating genetic diseases, cancers, and disorders of blood and immune system.
Compared to bone marrow stem cells, cord blood stem cells are easier to harvest because they are easily obtainable from placenta after delivery and so do not involve a surgical procedure.
They can be put in a cord blood bank, such as Cord Blood Registry®, and easily prepared for use either for the donor or another recipient regardless of relationship.
Cord blood has already proven successful in treating leukemia, anemia, neuroblastoma, lymphoma, and many other blood and immune system diseases, cancers, and disorders.
Scientists had been skeptical about using the cord blood on the sickened donors because of the blood's established genetic predisposition to become diseased, but recently Illinois doctors successfully treated leukemia through this route, proving the much-anticipated fruitfulness of the banking cord blood.