Stem cells
from the umbilical cord

Bone marrow was the primary source of stem cells (bone marrow transplantation involves transplanting stem cells derived from the bone marrow), whereas nowadays, the umbilical cord blood stem cells are more frequently applied for therapeutic uses. Other sources include the peripheral blood drawn from donors who underwent pharmacological mobilisation.

Each living organism, through the course of its life, systematically produces new cells which subsequently mature and differentiate into more specialised cells. Eventually, these cells perish after a specific period of time, as inscribed in their genetic code. Specific stem cells are cells which directly replace dead cells with new ones. All stem cells, even if transiently present in the body, can be subdivided into the four categories: totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent and unipotent. Multipotent type of cells include haematopoietic stem cells and human umbilical cord blood is a good source of them.

Umbilical cord blood - collection and storage

Cord blood is blood that stays in the umbilical cord and placenta after birth and after the child's abnegation. It is a valuable source of stem cells. Until recently it was treated as "waste" and recycled together with the placenta and umbilical cord. Currently, it is taken to isolate stem cells for storage and subsequent use in therapy.

Stem cells from umbilical cord blood, like those from the bone marrow, can be transplanted to rebuild the hematopoietic and immune systems, and show greater efficacy than stem cells obtained from adult donors. They can be used both for autologous transplants (then the donor is the recipient of the collected cells) and allogeneic (the recipient gets the cells from another person, e.g. family transplants).

Collecting umbilical cord blood is a simple and non-invasive procedure.

Collecting umbilical cord blood is a simple activity. They are performed after the umbilical cord is cut and the blood is taken from the part of the umbilical cord that is connected to the placenta, so the process is completely neutral for the child.

Usually, a trained midwife will perform procedure of cord blood collection. Parents, who wish to save cord blood bank for their family must remember to bring a special kit with them to the hospital on the day of delivery. After collection, biological material is picked up from the hospital and transported to the laboratory by a dedicated medical courier.

Banking umbilical cord blood

Umbilical cord blood can be stored virtually indefinitely, without fear of losing valuable properties. In our laboratory stem cells from umbilical cord blood are stored until they need to be used.

In the whole world there is already over 1 milion portions of cord blood stored

The predominance of stem cells from umbilical cord blood

Due to the advantages of umbilical cord blood cells over bone marrow cells, they are increasingly used in saving lives. Although stem cells from the bone marrow can be taken throughout life, the cells collected from umbilical cord blood are much more valuable, as illustrated in the table:

Umbilical cord tissue

The umbilical cord contains special cells called mesenchymal cells (MSC). They have slightly different properties than umbilical cord blood cells - they are much more easily differentiated into other types of cells, e.g. nervous, bone, cartilage.

MSC's could be found in so called Wharton jelly. It is a specific tissue that surrounds umbilical vessels. The umbilical cord can be easily collected after delivery. The doctor or midwife cuts the piece (10-15 cm long) of the umbilical cord and puts it in a special container. In the laboratory, umbilical cord tissue is tested, divided into the small pieces and and then frozen. It is also possible to isolate MSC's before freezing.