Today, if not everyone, then very many have heard about stem cells. The topic is of particular interest to future parents who are on the way to making a decision about saving blood from the umbilical cord of their newborn baby. The he alth of the child may directly depend on the correctness of their choice.
Let's talk about why cord blood is stored in special banks. In addition, consider its characteristics and applications.
What is cord blood?
This is the name given to the blood that is taken from the baby's umbilical cord and placenta immediately after birth. Its value lies in the high concentration of stem cells, which have many positive characteristics.
What are stem cells
Umbilical cord blood cells are called stem cells. They are the main "bricks" in the structure of the body's immune system. In addition, stem cells have such an interesting feature as the ability to divide throughout the entire life cycle. This helps to restore anybody tissues. And stem cells are able to differentiate into absolutely any other type of cells, of which there are more than two hundred.
How cord blood is collected
So how should cord blood be collected? It should be noted right away that this procedure is completely painless for both the mother and her newborn baby. Other than that, it doesn't carry any danger.
Immediately after childbirth, a needle is inserted into the umbilical vein, through which the blood flows by gravity into a special bag. It already contains a liquid that prevents clotting. In total, from 50 to 250 ml of blood comes out, which contains from 3 to 5 percent of stem cells.
After the placenta has passed, the obstetrician cuts off about 10-20 centimeters of the umbilical cord and places it in a special package.
All biomaterials must be delivered to the laboratory within 4-6 hours. There they are processed, frozen and stored.
Stem cell shelf life and uses
Preservation of cord blood is a process that must take place in compliance with all necessary rules and regulations. After all, the "life" of stem cells depends on it.
With proper storage, this period can be decades, which is confirmed by the fact that the first blood bank was opened back in 1993. It is from that moment until our time that the first taken stem cells are stored.cord blood.
There can be no doubt that this biomaterial will be 100% suitable for the child himself in the future. In addition, studies have shown that close relatives (parents, brothers and sisters) can also use the valuable liquid. At the same time, the probability that the blood is ideal is within 25%.
Stem cells in an adult
After reading the above information, the question may arise: why should stem cells be collected from a newborn baby? Are they really not in the body of an adult? Of course there is. But!
The main difference is the concentration of stem cells in the blood. With age, their number constantly decreases. The results of the conducted studies will help to verify this: in newborns, 1 stem cell falls on 10 thousand cells of the body, in adolescence - on 100 thousand, and after 50 years - on 500 thousand. At the same time, not only their quantity decreases, but also their quality. Umbilical cord stem cells are much more active than those derived from the bone marrow. The main reason for this is their youth.
Why is it necessary to store blood from the umbilical cord
Modern medicine has moved far ahead and can do a lot. But still there are some diseases for which a cure has not yet been invented. It is in such cases that the way out of the situation can be the use of cord blood, or to be more precise, the stem cells that are contained in it. For example, it can be diseases of the immunesystems. This also includes cases when it is necessary to restore the bone marrow or blood, as well as the biomaterial is used for the speedy regeneration of tissues after extensive burns or wounds.
Even if the baby was born perfectly he althy, this does not guarantee that he will not need stem cells throughout his life. In addition, they can be used to treat close relatives. Therefore, before giving birth, it is worth thinking about the issue of collecting umbilical cord blood to ensure the possibility, in which case, to restore the he alth of not only the child, but also the rest of the family.
Umbilical cord blood treatment
It was mentioned above that cord blood and the stem cells it contains are a real panacea for getting rid of many serious illnesses. But without specific examples, such words will remain just empty sounds. Therefore, let us recall some of the most common diseases (although there are more than 80 in total), which can be eliminated through the use of such a biomaterial. For convenience, they will all be divided into interconnected groups.
Blood diseases:
- lymphoma;
- hemoglobinuria;
- refractory and aplastic anemia;
- sickle cell anemia;
- Waldenström;
- paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria;
- acute and chronic leukemia;
- Fanconi anemia;
- macroglobulinemia;
- myelodysplasia.
Autoimmune diseases:
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- infantile cerebral palsy;
- spinal cord injury;
- stroke;
- Alzheimer's disease;
- systemic scleroderma;
- diseases of the nervous system;
- Parkinson's disease.
Cancer:
- neuroblastoma;
- cancer (breast, kidney, ovary, testis);
- small cell lung cancer;
- Ewing's sarcoma;
- rhabdomyosarcoma;
- brain tumor;
- thymoma.
Other congenital and acquired diseases:
- metabolic disorders;
- immunodeficiency;
- diabetes mellitus;
- muscular dystrophy;
- cirrhosis of the liver;
- AIDS;
- histiocytosis;
- amyloidosis.
Special indications and contraindications for cord blood preservation
There are situations when cord blood conservation needs special attention. This applies when:
- family members are of different nationalities;
- a family member has been diagnosed with blood disorders or malignant diseases;
- there are many children in the family;
- the family already has sick children;
- pregnancy occurred after IVF;
- there are suspicions that in the future there may be a need for the use of stem cells.
But it also happens that it is forbidden to save stem cells. This occurs in cases of a positive result for the presence ofdiseases such as hepatitis B and C, syphilis, HIV-1 and HIV-2, T-cell leukemia.
How effective is stem cell treatment?
Scientists have long known about the beneficial functions that umbilical cord blood has. And today, active research is being carried out on the use of stem cells for the treatment of various diseases. It is worth noting that they are quite successful, and in the near future, thanks to cord blood, it will be possible to get rid of many diseases. In addition, in the laboratory, a new full-fledged organ can be grown from stem cells! Such a discovery advanced medicine far ahead and put it, so to speak, on a new stage of evolution.
What is a stem cell bank and what does it do?
After the decision was made to store the cord blood, there is only one question left to be de alt with: where will it be stored? Are there special places for such purposes? The answer, of course, is yes.
The cord blood stem cell bank is the place where such valuable biological material will be stored in compliance with all necessary standards. At the same time, there are two registers: nominal and public.
In the first case, the blood from the umbilical cord of the child belongs to his parents, and only they can dispose of it. But in such a situation, they will have to pay for all services themselves, from collection and processing to storage.
Stem cell public registry cantake advantage of any person if the need arises.
Selecting a stem cell bank
When choosing a stem cell storage bank, you need to focus on several important points. Let's consider each of them in more detail.
- The lifetime of the bank. In this regard, everything is logical, because the more time the organization works, the more customers trust it, mainly due to confidence in its stability. In addition, employees of such a bank usually have extensive experience in working with cord blood.
- Availability of a license. This is a mandatory item. The bank must have a permit for the collection, transport and storage of stem cells, which was issued by the he alth committee.
- The base of the institution. It is best to choose a bank that is based on a research institute or a medical institution. This will guarantee that they will meet all the conditions for working with biological material and its storage.
- Availability of necessary equipment. The bank must be equipped with a double centrifuge, as well as Sepax and Macopress machines.
- Availability of a system of automatic control of cryostorages. This will help to control the temperature in the room with cord blood samples, as well as receive reports on their storage for placement in a special archive.
- Availability of courier service. This is necessary so that bank employees can quickly arrive at the maternity ward, collect cord blood and deliver it to the laboratory. Fromthe efficiency of their work directly depends on the preservation of the viability of stem cells.
- The bank conducts scientific research in the field of cellular technologies. This point is no less important than all the others. In addition, the bank should cooperate with medical institutions and leading research institutes of the city.
- Availability of round-the-clock security. This item is self-explanatory.
Among other things, you can further clarify whether the bank has experience in using stem cells for treatment. Having a positive answer will only be another plus.
So we got acquainted with the question "what is cord blood". Its use, as we see, is indicated for the treatment of serious diseases, when medical preparations are already powerless. But in any case, the decision on whether to collect the cord blood of their newborn child or not, is taken only by his parents.
