What can umbilical cord stem cells do?

One source of stem cells is umbilical cord blood. Stem cells found in cord blood are precursors to a person's fully functioning immune system. They also differentiate into:

• White blood cells: vital for fighting infections and safeguarding the body
• Red blood cells: important for transporting oxygen to cells
• Platelets: crucial for clotting

A cord blood stem cell transplant uses haematopoetic cells (blood forming stem cells) to replace diseased cells with healthy new cells, and rebuild an individual's blood and immune system.

Scientists have also shown that the cord tissue within the umbilical cord is a rich, but different type of stem cell called Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

Mesenchymal stem cells can very easily be isolated from a section of the umbilical cord and have been shown to develop into bone, cartilage, nerve, cardiac, smooth muscle and skin cells and are therefore extremely promising in regenerative medicine.

 Current clinical trials are underway evaluating mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of:

• Multiple sclerosis
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Parkinson’s Disease