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Science of Baby Cord Blood
If you have been interested in seeking more knowledge about cord blood stem cells and it is important to you to understand exactly what it is these cells are used for, you are like many others. Many people have heard of cord blood stem cells, but there are few people who truly understand the science and potential associated with the use of these stem cells.
Perhaps the most important thing to realize first of all is that the blood collected from a baby’s umbilical cord does not constitute the same kind of stem cell research that has caused ethical and moral divisions. The cord blood is collected from a baby’s umbilical cord after the cord has been cut. These stem cells are not taken from embryos like the more controversial stem cells are.
Stem cells are considered the building blocks of blood and immune systems. The value of these cells is evident. Not only does cord blood collection save lives today, but it also allows medical researchers to explore the uses of these cells for the future to possibly provide treatment for those who suffer from diabetes, heart disease or stroke, and more.
Doctors and scientists are particularly interested in them thanks to the fact that these stem cells have the ability to repair or even replace damaged cells throughout a person’s body.
Although there is still much research to be done, there is solid evidence that shows that in some cases stem cells are able to stimulate new and healthy growth in vital organs such as the heart as well as the kidneys. Other vital organs that may have been or currently are affected by disease or damage could also be treated with stem cells.
Although research and a quest for full understanding of the benefits of cord blood stem cells continues, there are certain things that researchers know cord blood can do. It has already been shown that stem cells extracted from cord blood can cure red blood cell diseases such as Fanconi anemia. Other diseases ? like SCID ? which is a white blood cell disease, can also be treated by stem cells.
One of the other important things that these stem cells do is treat cancers and the after-effects of cancer treatments. Specifically, there is evidence that stem cells have proved to be effective in assisting in the treatment of leukemia and neuroblastoma. These stem cells have also been effective in helping to repair heart tissue.
Although stem cells can be taken from bone marrow, it has been discovered that cord blood stem cells are more proliferate and therefore have a higher probability of being able to match other family members. It is typical for parents and siblings to match about 50 percent of the genetic markers of the donor’s stem cell. But there are many different genetic markers required for a match, so the potential probability for an implant in a parent or sibling is quite a bit lower than 50 percent.
After the blood is taken, it is cryopreserved (high-tech freezing). When this blood is needed, it is thawed and then washed of the cryoprotectant and injected through the vein of a patient. Sometimes the patient’s own blood is used, while at other times the blood of another donor is used for the injection.
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