Umbilical Cord Blood as a source of Stem Cells
There are several different kinds of stem cells found throughout the body; however umbilical cord blood stem cells offer several advantages over other sources.
- Umbilical cord blood, like bone marrow is a non-controversial and rich source of stem cells, free from political and ethical debate.
- Stem cells from cord blood are now used to treat nearly 80 life-threatening diseases.
- Stem cells from cord blood have successfully treated children and adults.1
- Transplants that use cord blood from a family member (e.g., a sibling) are twice as successful as transplants that use cord blood from a non-relative (e.g., from a public bank).2
- When a child receives his or her own cord blood, there is no risk of rejection.3
1 Laughlin MJ, et al., NEJM 2004, 351:2265-2275, Takahashi S, Iseki T, et al., BLOOD 2004,104:3813-3819, Rocha V, Labopin M, et al. NEJM 2004; 351:2276-2285.
2 Gluckman, et al., New England Journal of Medicine 1997, pp. 373-381.
3 Rocha V., Wagner J.E., et al., NEJM 2000,342:1846-1854.
As with any transplant therapy, therapeutic success depends upon many factors beyond the stem cells themselves including patient condition, type of disease, recipient-donor relationship and matching, and other factors. Although the potential use of umbilical cord blood is expanding rapidly, the odds that a family member without a defined risk will need to use their child’s umbilical cord blood are low. There is no guarantee that the umbilical cord blood will be a match for a family member or will provide a cure. Autologous cord blood stem cells will not guarantee suitable treatment for all inherited genetic diseases.