Why consider Placenta•Cord™ banking? Cord blood and the placenta are usually discarded after birth, yet both have the potential to save the lives of children and adults. Like bone marrow, they contain hematopoietic stem cells, which are used in blood formation and are capable of forming many different blood cell types. This enables placental and cord blood stem cells to replace the body's hematopoietic stem cells that are abnormal or destroyed.
Hematopoietic stem cells are found in bone marrow, the umbilical cord blood, and the placenta. These stem cells form multiple blood cell types and have the ability to self-renew. Hematopoietic stem cells are used to form all types of blood cells in the body including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
Stem cells from bone marrow, the placenta, and cord blood have the potential to be used to treat diseases by regenerating healthy blood cells in place of abnormal ones. Currently, hematopoietic stem cells are used to treat patients with cancers and other disorders of the blood and immune systems.
Science suggests the potential that, in the future, placental and cord blood stem cell uses might include regenerating heart muscle after a heart attack, regenerating nerve tissue after a stroke or to treat Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, regenerating pancreatic tissue to treat diabetes, or regenerating bone or cartilage.
For cell-based therapy to be successful, stem cells must undergo transplantation, engraftment, and differentiation.
After transplantation, the cells must survive in the body without harming the recipient. Health risks at this stage include graft-versus-host disease or tissue rejection.
Engraftment takes place as the cells integrate into the surrounding tissue. If the transplantation is a success, the blood cells will renew and function properly for the rest of the recipient's life.
Differentiation calls for the stem cells to not only be made available in sufficient quantities, but also to form the desired blood cell types for transplant.
A successful stem cell transplant process begins with a conditioning or preparative regimen designed to suppress immune reactions and eradicate the recipient's disease. If the transplant comes from a donor instead of using the recipient's own cells, additional immunosuppressive medications may be administered.
The stem cells are then infused into the blood stream through an intravenous catheter. The transplanted cells circulate in the blood stream and travel to the bone marrow. At this point, the stem cells will begin to grow and produce new red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Within a few weeks, the need for therapeutic transfusions may be alleviated as blood cell counts rise toward normal. Recovery can take anywhere from several months to a few years.
For more information about placental and cord blood stem cell uses, please visit our Current Uses and Potential Treatments.
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