Page 23 - Regenerative Medicine - Patient Guide

UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD

Umbilical cord blood is blood that remains in
the placenta and in the attached umbilical
cord after childbirth. Umbilical cord blood c
ontains stem cells, which can be used to
treat hematopoietic and genetic disorders.

These stem cells have the capacity to
self-renewal, release growth factors and
cytokines, as well as differentiate into more
mature cells.

As an extension of fetal cells, umbilical cord
blood cells exhibit high plasticity. Umbilical
cord stem cells have been used for over
twenty years for hematopoietic stem cell
reconstitution as a substitution for bone
marrow reconstitution. Additionally, due to
the high plasticity of umbilical cord cells,
there is significantly decreased risk of
graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and if
GVHD does occur it is less severe than most
other types of transplants.

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