Cord Blood Stem Cells Can Fight Against Certain Disorders

Unlocking the secrets found with the human body is the goal of researcher working within the biological sciences. One of the most exciting findings of the past few decades concerned the debate about embryonic stem cell research. While the media focused on the debate, many people didn’t understand what the cells actually were. They are, in a word pluripotent, but it’s easier to think of them as a master cell that can become anything in the human body be it tissue, part of the immune system, or a component within the blood. This opens exciting avenues for disease application that we have been able to witness during the application of cord blood stem cells.

During all of the debate surrounding the ethical questions raised in used embryos, many people didn’t realize that cord blood had been used for twenty years in the treatment of various diseases. Beyond this source, scientists have been able to find adult stem cells that reside in the bone marrow, but their potency is not the same.

Once thrown away and considered useless, science now recognizes there value and gives new parents the option to store these cords at facilities. Choosing to store this blood can be a valuable asset down the road if your child is at risk for any hematopoietic or genetic issues.

The sad truth is that there are no ages that are immune from disease and when it comes to the application of cord blood, there has been great success against genetic and hematopoietic disorders. It is within transplants that the greatest strides have been taken, but research continues to point to other avenues.

Fortunately, there are no ethical issues involved in storing cord blood and their value cannot be underestimated. Unlike adult stem cells, the ones found in cord blood are naturally biologically younger. This youth is what frees it from the issues that aging, as well as exposure to things like viruses, do to their older counterparts.

This is because they are able to bypass the usually risks involved in graft vs. Host disease which can find the body attacking any foreign tissue that has been transplanted into the body which hastens rejection. The method of bypassing is simply the fact that these particular cells are not as reactive as regular immune system components and so they won’t detect a threat from the tissue.

Keeping this blood also ensures that you can use it for other family members that may come down with illnesses as it is not restricted for use by only the child that originally supplied the cord. These cells have been used to great success for upwards of twenty years in a number of transplantation procedures.

There is no denying the benefits of saving this material and the procedure of harvesting is the very definition of simplicity and painlessness. In just five minutes the cord that you’ve cut can be ready for shipment to a banking facilities.

These banks can be quite affordable and as for the life of your sample, there is no expiration date. This is because when it comes to the storage of biological materials, cryogenic freezing is done and this allows samples to be stored indefinitely.

Research is showing that the application of these stem cells will only grow over time. Type I diabetes, also known as Juvenal diabetes has been shown to respond greatly to an infusion of this tissue when diagnosis is early. With all of the possibilities there is no reason to let your baby’s cord get thrown away.

This blood clinic has years in experience for cord blood banking and cord blood storage. Located at the Toronto General Hospital, we have much experience in handling cord blood Toronto for any purposes.