Newborn Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood:
An Important Resource for Regenerative Medicine
Stem cells are considered the "master" cells in the body. They have the ability to replicate themselves repeatedly or make specialized cells with specific functions, acting as the building blocks of organs, tissues, blood, or the immune system. Not all stem cells are the same: stem cells fall into three broad categories: embryonic, adult (includes bone marrow and peripheral blood) and newborn (includes umbilical cord blood, the umbilical cord itself and the placenta).
Embryonic stem cells to date have only been studied in the test tube or in animals and have just been approved for the first small-scale human safety study that begins this year. They have a high capability to replicate and proliferate; however, they could have potentially hazardous side effects, including immune rejection and tumor formation caused by uncontrolled cell growth.
On the other end of the spectrum, adult stem cells have been used successfully in several treatment areas for more than 40 years, although they have more limited capabilities and do not multiply as quickly as newborn sources of stem cells or embryonic stem cells.
Newborn stem cells from umbilical cord blood offer tremendous therapeutic potential with significant advantages in the field of regenerative medicine. They are an excellent source of stem cells for regenerative therapies because they are younger, resulting in their strong reparative and proliferative capabilities, as well as fewer immune-related complications. They are also immediately available for clinical use and can be accessed non-invasively. Importantly, newborn stem cells are:
- Efficacious - animal studies have shown the efficacy of cord blood stem cells in a number of regenerative applications, and they are beginning to show promise in human studies as well.
- Safe -- regenerative newborn stem cell therapy involves using one's own (autologous) stem cells. Infusing one's own stem cells back into the body is safer than using someone else's (allogeniec) cord blood stem cells, which already have a demonstrated safety record of more than 20 years in more than 70 diseases.
- Pluripotent -- like embryonic stem cells, stem cells found in cord blood have been shown give rise to numerous cell and tissue types in the body-but without the concern of tumor formation associated with embryonic cells.
- Young - they are primitive enough for vast proliferation and strong reparative capabilities, yet they don't pose the risk of tumor formation from uncontrolled growth.
Newborn stem cells from umbilical cord blood have a proven track record: they have been used successfully for more than 20 years with demonstrated efficacy and safety; they are currently used to treat nearly 80 diseases including, some cancers (including leukemia and lymphoma), various blood disorders (including sickle cell anemia and aplastic anemia), immunodeficencies, and metabolic disorders. They can be easily and non-invasively collected with ability to be stored for many years.
Animal data and human studies have shown encouraging results for the therapeutic potential of using one's own, or autologous, cord blood stem cells in the field of regenerative medicine--including brain and spinal cord injury, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Given the minimal safety risks; the emerging positive animal and human data; the immediate readiness for clinical use; and the availability of autologous cord blood units currently stored at private banks, it is critical to advance the research of newborn stem cells in regenerative therapies.
Autologous Newborn Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine
