How helpful is the umbilical cord preservation in curing diseases?

Umbilical cord is a precious link that connects the mother to the child. This connection is seen when the child is developing inside the mother’s womb. This is like a root which grows with the growth of the child inside the mother’s uterus. But its benefits for treatment of various deadly diseases were unknown.

Today there are umbilical cord preservation centers where after the birth of the baby the cord is protected and saved inside the lab. This part of the body is used for the generation of stem cells as it can regenerate new cells. This is saved in a cord blood bank for further use.

How is this used for treatment of various diseases?

The procedure of umbilical cord preservation is as follows:-

• The blood is collected from the umbilical cord at the birth and is stored in the blood bank.
• This blood is rich in stem cells that have the ability to transform into a new human cell.
• These stem cells are immature cells that can both reproduce themselves and have the potential to turn into other types of cells.
• The cells that are present inside the umbilical cord blood and bone marrow, these are called the hematopoietic progenitor cells.
• These cells are mostly used for the treatment of diseases like leukemia, sickle cell anemia. This is done with the HPC stem cells to replenish their blood supply with the new healthy cells.
• The stem cells can also help the body recover from some cancer treatment like chemotherapy or radiation.

When we think of the source of the umbilical cord stem cells, they are collected and cryogenically frozen. But there is also other alternative like that of bone marrow; this requires invasive procedures whereas cord blood stem cells can be drawn from the cut umbilical cord in less than 5 minutes. The new born stem cells are younger and more flexible than the stem cells that are taken from adult. Hence, it gives the best regenerative abilities.

How can the blood cell from the umbilical cord be obtained?

The umbilical cord preservation is done with the cord blood collection that happens after the umbilical cord has been cut and is extracted from the fetal end of the cord. This has a diverting up to 75 + /- 23 ml from the neonate. This is preferred to be done within 10 minutes of the child being delivered. These hematopoietic stem cells that are called to be the derivative of the umbilical cord are rebuilt and replenish as the body’s blood and immune system.

These are later believed to develop as

• Blood vessels
• Bone cartilage
• Blood cells
• Immune system cells
• Muscle cells and nerve cells.

Advantages of the umbilical cord bank

According to a lay man the umbilical cord is only a channel with which the mother holds the child in her womb and nourishes her but its scientific importance is must more. The umbilical cord has got multiple usages. It is called to be the life line for a child even after being detached from the mother.

The umbilical cord bank is where cord blood can be stored for the longest time possible. Here, the blood is collected from the umbilical cord after it is detached from the mother and child and then it is cryopreserved for further uses.  It is preserved at a temperature of – 196 degrees. This is mostly used for isolating the t-cells which is one of the body cells associated with the development of immune cells and is the foundation of the body. This includes the potentiality to develop every part of the body including the skin, bones, muscles and organs. This can be seen when a child is in the developmental form inside the mother’s womb.

What qualities do stem cells posses to cure diseases and form a part of the umbilical cord bank?

The cord cells are chosen to be a part of the umbilical cord bank due to their regeneration capacity. There are certain qualities of the stem cells making them an important tool in modern age medicine. Such as:

• Stem cells can change into any type of cell like that of bones, cartilages, muscles, blood cells, tissues and brain cells.
• These can replicate or copy themselves endlessly.
• They have the power to replace the older cells with the new cells from time to time
• These are responsible for the repair and regeneration of the body cells that are functional.

Various researches have shown that these stem cells are fundamental in building any part of the body. In the umbilical cord blood the number of stem cells is quite high and efficient in the form of young cells.

Is cord cell banking prevalent in India?

For a country like India, where the medical technology is still under the knife expecting an umbilical cord bank to flourish might be alien but there are some countable cord banks in the country. However, they are still in the developing stage. They are helping in busting the myths about the usage of the cord cells.