Umbilical Cord Stem Cells Research

Almost all multi-cellular organisms have stem cells in their body. The stem cells are the cells that are capable of giving rise to new cells and act as a repairing agent inside the body. The stem cells can renew themselves with the help of mitotic cell division and develop into different types of cells. The cell types present in mammals are classified into embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. The stem cells present in an embryo are capable of developing into specialized cells, whereas the stem cells in a present in an adult mainly can develop into new cells and replenish the body parts.  The adult stem cells function to regenerate blood cells, skin and other body parts.

The advancement in stem cell research has made it possible to grow stem cells in laboratories and is used for the treatment of various types of diseases. There is a dearth of good resources of stem cells and the cord blood is believed to be good solution to this problem. The cord blood has huge reserves of stem cells which can be used for research and treatment. Bone marrow was also considered to a rich source of stem cells, but the growing cases of rejection upon transfusion are a cause of concern for the researchers. So they are looking for alternatives like cord blood which as not yet registered many rejections.

The cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord of a new born baby by clamping the umbilical cod and then collecting the blood with the help of a syringe. The quantity of blood that can be collected is around 180 ml and is very rich in stem cells. It is perfectly safe for the mother and child to donate the cord blood to the blood banks.