Cord Blood, Substitute to Bone Marrow
As an alternative source of “hematopoietic stem cells”, cord blood has been used to substitute the highly invasive bone marrow transplants. Statistics show that, more than 8,000 transplants have been performed worldwide to over 20,000 patients in 2006. To add to that, more than 80 different diseases have been treated through such transplants. Most of these diseases are genetic diseases of the blood-such as bone marrow related anemia or chemotherapy resistant cancer and immune system illnesses.
Cord blood pertains to the blood that remains in the umbilical cord after a baby is born and the umbilical cord is cut. Normally, this extra blood is no longer needed by the baby after birth. Whereas before, it was regarded as medical waste, today, mothers are encouraged to donate it to public cord blood banks or some parents may preserve it with private cord blood banks.
With the development of this stem cell therapy, the previously tedious procedure has become less painful and tiresome. Finding suitable donors has become much easier. Because the stem cells in cord blood are more primitive than those found in marrow, they are more easily accepted by the host’s body. The transplant itself is as simple as receiving blood intravenously. In 2000, the world’s first umbilical cord blood transplant was performed using pre-implantation genetic testing to ensure a perfect tissue match.
In the past, bone marrow transplants had been a highly invasive process. Finding a perfectly matched donor could take years. When performing the transplant procedure, the donor’s marrow would then be inserted into the patient’s bone. As one would expect, this experience will be highly uncomfortable for both the patient and the donor. The continuous efforts to discover the uses of cord blood cell therapy could save more lives and give hopes to patients in the future.
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