Could Cord Blood Help Protect the Vision of Premature Babies?

A recent clinical study from Italy has highlighted an unexpected example: the potential role of cord blood in helping to protect the eyesight of extremely premature babies.

Babies born very early often develop anaemia, a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. To treat this, many premature infants require blood transfusions during the first weeks of life.

Traditionally, these transfusions use blood donated by adults. However, researchers have questioned whether adult blood is always the best match for premature babies, whose bodies are still developing outside the womb.

Cord blood contains a special type of haemoglobin known as fetal haemoglobin. This is the form of haemoglobin babies naturally use before birth. Scientists believe it may be better suited to supporting delicate developing tissues, including those found in the eyes.

Researchers have observed that premature babies who lose fetal haemoglobin more quickly may be at greater risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a serious eye condition that can lead to vision problems and, in severe cases, blindness.

To investigate this further, researchers conducted a large clinical trial involving extremely premature babies born between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. Infants received either standard blood transfusions from adult donors or transfusions made from cord blood, which naturally contains high levels of fetal haemoglobin.

The results were encouraging. Infants who received only cord blood transfusions had:

• A significantly lower risk of severe ROP
• Fewer cases requiring medical treatment
• A higher proportion of milder disease forms, suggesting slower disease progression

Importantly, the treatment was safe and well tolerated with no transfusion-related complications. While larger studies are still needed, the findings suggest that cord blood may one day play an important role in protecting some of the most vulnerable newborns from one of the most serious complications of premature birth.

The Importance of Preserving Newborn Cells

Research like this highlights an important point: the future value of newborn stem cells and cord blood may extend far beyond the applications we know about today.

When cord blood banking first began, few could have predicted the wide range of diseases that stem cells would eventually be used to treat. Today, scientists continue to uncover new ways in which cord blood and cord tissue may support medical care, regenerative medicine and innovative therapies, such as this trial, which may be simple yet potentially transformative change in neonatal care.

While no one can predict exactly what future discoveries will bring, preserving your baby’s precious cord blood cells at birth may provide access to opportunities and treatments that are only beginning to emerge through research today.This study is a powerful reminder that some of the most important future applications of cord blood may be those we have not yet discovered.

If you’d like to learn more, download our free guide to cord blood and cord tissue banking or speak to one of our specialists.