Cord blood and Regenerative Medicine

Cord blood and Regenerative Medicine

Cord Blood has been the latest to hit the market as a potential source of body parts.

Cord blood cells are stem cells with unique characteristics compared to other sources of stem cells and they are also safe when transfused into the same person(autologous). For these reasons they have found favor in regenerative medicine.

Cord Blood cells may be extracted during childbirth and may be stored for future use of the new born. The next generation will benefit the most out of this.

Cord blood stem cells are being studied for treating conditions such as brain injury, Type 1 Diabetes, stroke and hearing loss.

Cord blood stem cells infusion into children with Type 1 diabetes will bring about metabolic control with time. Similarly umbilical cord blood selectively migrate to injured cardiac tissue, improve blood flow and vascular function. In the same fashion, infusing human cord blood stem cells into animals that suffered stroke significantly improved their behavior by creation of new blood vessels and neurons in the brain.

The field of regenerative medicine is indeed a promising field but more research is required to realize its full potential.