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Cord Blood Stem Cells: Your Questions Answered

What cord blood is, how it is collected and stored, and how cord blood banks work.

By R. Morgan Griffin
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

What are cord blood stem cells?

Stem cells are immature cells that can transform into other kinds of cells and reproduce themselves. Cord blood stem cells are collected in the umbilical cord at birth and can produce all of the blood cells in the body.

Cord blood stem cells can be used to treat blood-related diseases, such as leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia, and others. They can also treat people whose bone marrow has been damaged by chemotherapy or radiation. During treatment, these cells are injected into the bloodstream. Once there, doctors hope that they will make new, healthy blood cells.

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Experts hope that very primitive embryonic stem cells will become treatment for all sorts of diseases in the future, such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, and other conditions. But right now, these applications are only theoretical.

How are these cord blood stem cells collected?

The procedure is simple. It's safe and painless for both mother and child. Right after birth, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut, and the baby is passed off to a pediatrician. Meanwhile, a doctor or nurse uses a sterile solution to wash a small area of the umbilical cord that is still attached to the placenta. Then he or she will stick a needle into the cord's umbilical vein. The blood will flow by gravity through the needle, through a tube, and into a collection bag. The whole process takes a few minutes.

Collecting cord blood is not always possible. For instance, if there are any problems with the delivery -- either for the mother or child -- the doctors will want to focus on resolving them instead of taking the cord blood.

Also, since collecting cord blood isn't routine, you'll need to set up the procedure with the hospital in advance. Experts recommend that you contact the cord blood bank by your 34th week of pregnancy.

How long does cord blood last?

After collection, the blood is shipped to a storage facility and frozen. It is not known how long cord blood cells remain viable after cryopreservation. Studies have shown the long-term survival of stem cells in cord blood stored up to 15 years. The viability of cryopreserved cord blood cells beyond this time has not been confirmed.

Is cord blood the only source of stem cells?

No. Similar stem cells are also in bone marrow, the spongy substance inside larger bones that makes your body's blood cells. Both types of stem cells are called hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs).These cells can be injected into a sick person to replenish the supply of platelets and red and white blood cells. But early research indicates that someday these HPC cells may also be able give rise to other types of cells used in different parts of the body.

HPC stem cells are completely different from embryonic stem cells, which come from human embryos or fetuses. Embryonic stem cells can give rise to many more types of cells, but since their use involves destroying embryos, the ethics of embryonic stem cell research is hotly debated.

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