This article is professionally consulted by Dr. Nguyen Van Tinh and Dr. Ngo Anh Tien – Cord Blood Bank, Vinmec Institute of Stem Cell Research & Gene Technology.
What is Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells?
Currently, “cord blood collection” and “cord blood stem cell preservation” are no longer unfamiliar concepts. Many families choose to store their newborn’s cord blood as a form of lifelong biological insurance for their child. So, what are the benefits of this practice, and does cord blood collection affect the baby?
1. Why Should You Preserve Cord Blood?
The umbilical cord and the placenta are parts that provide nutrients to the fetus in the mother’s womb. Cord blood is blood collected from the umbilical cord and placenta after birth and after the umbilical cord is cut. Previously, the umbilical cord and placenta were considered medical waste and were often discarded after childbirth. However, medical research has shown that cord blood is rich in hematopoietic stem cells and is used to support and treat various diseases. Notably, the application potential of hematopoietic stem cells obtained from the umbilical cord is similar to that of hematopoietic stem cells obtained from bone marrow and peripheral blood. Therefore, preserving cord blood actually means storing a valuable source of stem cells for supporting and treating many diseases and cellular disorders in the future.
Cord blood is a rich source of stem cells.
Stem cells are special cells that have the ability to self-renew and differentiate into specialized cells. These characteristics have led to extensive research and application of stem cells in the treatment of genetic diseases, blood-producing organ diseases, and immune disorders.
Currently, stem cells obtained from cord blood can be used in the treatment and support of more than 80 diseases such as: Leukemia, Lymphoma, Blood cancers, bone marrow failure, autoimmune diseases (like diabetes), or genetic disorders (such as anemia, sickle cell disease), etc. Additionally, cord blood stem cells can also differentiate into cells of other tissues such as: Muscle (skeletal muscle, heart muscle), liver cells, kidney cells, brain cells, lung cells, skin cells, and pancreatic cells, etc. Therefore, beyond hematological treatment, cord blood stem cells are also being researched for the treatment of many other conditions such as heart damage, spinal cord injury, and brain injury.
Stem cells can be obtained from three sources: Peripheral blood, bone marrow, and cord blood. However, the preservation of stem cells from peripheral blood and bone marrow requires complex, invasive techniques and is more costly, making cord blood the preferred source. Notably, stem cells obtained from cord blood are more primitive compared to those from peripheral blood and bone marrow. This means that cord blood stem cells have higher adaptability, faster development, and generate healthier blood cells.
If stem cells from cord blood are preserved, they will be the most suitable source of stem cells in the future, with no risk of the body rejecting them. Moreover, if a family member needs to use stem cells for treatment, the compatibility between the patient and the child’s stem cell sample will be higher than with stem cells from non-related donors.
Cord blood stem cells help treat many serious diseases.
2. Preserving Cord Blood – A Form of Biological Insurance for Your Child
Today, many parents want to store cord blood for their child as soon as the baby is born to create a reserve of stem cells for the future, to be used when necessary (for treatment and support of diseases). Furthermore, this source of stem cells can also be used for treating diseases in family members if there is a suitable biological match.
In 1987, the first cord blood stem cell transplant in the world was performed by Dr. Eliane Gluckman at Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris, France. A 5-year-old patient with Fanconi anemia received a stem cell transplant from her newborn sister’s cord blood. The transplant was successful, and since then, over 40,000 transplants have been performed, saving more than 25,000 patients.
3. Is the Process of Collecting Cord Blood Complicated?
Cord blood collection is considered a simple, easy-to-perform technique that causes no pain for both mother and baby, and it can be applied in both cesarean and natural births.
To preserve cord blood, the mother needs to go to a cord blood stem cell storage facility before giving birth for health testing, ensuring she does not have infectious diseases, cancer, immune diseases, infections, and meets the storage criteria set by the facility.
Similar to the technique of collecting whole blood, during delivery, the cord blood collection staff will use the needle tip of the collection bag connected to the umbilical vein and collect the cord blood based on the flow pressure. The collection bag already contains anticoagulants to prevent clot formation. Cord blood can be collected before or after the placenta is delivered.
Collecting cord blood is a safe and easy procedure for mother and baby.
4. How Long Can Cord Blood Be Stored?
Cord blood collected will be transferred to the bank to undergo further processing steps, aimed at removing excess components, isolating the stem cells, and storage.
Many families are concerned about the storage duration of cord blood stem cells. In reality, it is challenging to determine the maximum storage duration for cord blood stem cells as cord blood banks worldwide have only been in existence for about 30 years. However, scientists believe that cord blood stem cells stored under deep freeze conditions can be stored indefinitely. This is based on two hypotheses:
- Cord blood stem cells are stored at a temperature
- Sperm and other cells stored for 50 years can still function after thawing.
5. Where Can Cord Blood Be Stored?
Cord blood collection poses no risks to the mother and baby. With the advancement of modern medical techniques, the application of stem cells in the treatment of serious diseases is becoming increasingly popular. Therefore, more and more families choose to store cord blood to create a readily available source of stem cells for potential treatment of diseases for the child or future family members.
