Myths versus Facts
Newborn Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood and Regenerative Medicine
Myth: Newborn stem cells from umbilical cord blood can only be used to treat blood and immune disorders.
Fact: Cord blood has traditionally been used to treat nearly 80 different blood and immune disorders, but new treatments with cord blood are expanding its use to regenerative medicine, where doctors use stem cells to repair damaged tissues and organs in the body. This emerging field of medicine is directed at treatments for conditions such as brain injury and juvenile diabetes, which have no cure today. Research is also exploring the use of cord blood stem cells to treat heart disease, diabetes, stroke, spinal cord injury and hearing loss just to name a few.
Myth: Future regenerative therapies using cord blood are limited because cord blood does not contain pluripotent stem cells and is not capable of differentiating into multiple cell types.
Fact: According to a McGuckin, et al study published in Cell Proliferation (2008), umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells contain "embryonic-like stem cells" with embryonic properties: young, with strong proliferation capabilities, and pluripotent (able to form every tissue and cell type in the body). Given that any advances in regenerative medicine will likely use autologous (one's own) pluripotent stem cells to prevent rejection, graft versus host disease and other life-threatening complications, UCB stem cells are one of the most easily accessible and readily available sources of stem cells known today. Further, although UCB stem cells are primitive enough for vast proliferation and strong reparative capabilities, they don't pose the risk of tumor formation from uncontrolled growth, making them an increasingly popular source of stem cells for all types of regenerative medicine applications.
Myth: Further education on UCB stem cells is unnecessary because most expectant women already know about umbilical cord blood storage options.
Fact: According to a Perlow J.H., et al study published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine (2006), 84% of women expect their physician to initiate a discussion about cord blood banking, yet only 14% of patients are educated by their healthcare provider on cord blood banking options. In addition, this study revealed that 63% of patients reported they had "some knowledge" about cord blood banking, while 37% percent had "no knowledge" about the subject; of the 63% reporting "some knowledge," 74% of them described themselves as only "minimally informed." National education efforts for cord blood stem cells will raise awareness of this important health resource and will change the face of healthcare by encouraging more and more people to consider saving cord blood, thereby giving more Americans an easily accessible source of their own stem cells for future treatment.
Myth: Banking cord blood is only for the wealthy.
Fact: No economic factors exist to dictate which families will bank cord blood and which will not. In fact, many families view it as an insurance policy for their child, which, over the course of 18 years, translates to a total cost of about $18 per month. Further, many cord blood banks offer free programs based on medical need and payment plans that can lower the monthly cost of banking. Overall, families that are educated on the benefits of UCB stem cells often choose to bank, but efforts that lower the costs of cord blood banking even further are critical.
Myth: The emerging therapeutic potential of cord blood stem cells in regenerative medicine should have no bearing on a parent's decision whether to bank publicly or privately.
Fact: In current studies utilizing cord blood stem cells for regenerative medicine applications, the use of one's own stem cells is required. Because families lose ownership of their cord blood stem cells once they donate them to a public bank, private banking is the only option that can provide parents with a guarantee that their child will have access to his or her own cord blood stem cells in the future, as well as the opportunity to participate in groundbreaking clinical research in regenerative medicine.
Myth: Using cord blood stem cells in regenerative medicine applications isn't safe
Fact: Regenerative newborn stem cell therapy involves using one's own (autologous) stem cells. Infusing one's own cells back into the body is safer than the use of someone else's (allogeniec) cord blood stem cells, which already has a demonstrated safety record of more than 20 years in nearly 80 serious diseases. And, because cord blood stem cells are primitive enough to differentiate into multiple cell types, yet mature enough to control their growth, they offer the benefits of pluripotency without the risks of tumor formation, which is currently a concern with embryonic stem cells.
