You can make sure that your future children
are protected from various blood-disorders, certain cancers, and auto-immune
diseases. The way to insure your family’s future health is by using baby stem
cell storage at the time of your child’s birth. In order to understand how this
works, we first need to know what stem cells are. Stem cells are a very special
kind of cell. They are unspecialized, and can be induced to form tissue or
organ specific cells. They can also divide and renew themselves for a long
period, unlike other cells. Therefore, they can be used to treat disorders
involving different kinds of cells.
Stem cells can be found in the embryo, in
the umbilical cord blood and lining, and also in adult tissue. Embryo stem
cells transform into the various organ and tissue specific cells a baby needs
in order to develop. So how do we store baby stem cells? These can be found in
the umbilical cord blood and the umbilical cord lining. The stem cells found in
the umbilical cord blood are known as hematopoietic stem cells, or stem cells
that can form blood or immune cells. Currently, treatments are available that
use the HSCs of the patient in order to treat blood disorders, cancers such as
leukemia and lymphoma, and auto-immune disorders. In fact, the BBC reports that about 20
patients with multiple sclerosis at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield
have been treated over the last three years using HSC transplant therapy.
Another way of conducting baby stem cell storage is by
harvesting and storing the umbilical cord lining. This lining is known to
contain mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and epithelial stem cells (EpSCs).
Ongoing research into the use of MSCs and EpSCs is very promising. MSCs have
the ability to transform into bone, muscle and fat tissues. They are ideal for
the treatment of inflammatory and degenerative disorders. Some promising uses
are for spinal cord injury, cardiovascular disorders and auto-immune disorders.
EpSCs can be used in the treatment of skin problems and disorders. A study by
the New England Journal of Medicine[1] has shown the
efficacy of EpSCs in the treatment of legal blindness caused by conditions that
destroy the epithelial cells of the cornea.
