Umbilical cord blood is rapidly becoming a blood source of interest to the medical world. Like bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, or UCB, has been declared to hold a desirable supply of hematopoietic stem cells. Hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs, are multipotent cells in the body that, upon being stimulated by specific growth factors, will differentiate into mature, functional cells. When looking at the use of UCB, it is important to determine the method of extraction, what this specific source of blood would be beneficial for, and finally the advantages and disadvantages of using this particular source. Umbilical cord blood is extracted directly from the umbilical cord that connects a fetus to its mother during pregnancy. According to
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Indeed, Dr. Kurtzberg and others who perform such transplants say that even if it were available, they would not transplant a leukemic child’s own umbilical cord blood, both because it might contain some leukemic cells and because a donor’s blood would be more likely to have the immunity to fight off leukemia. But a healthy baby’s blood might be useful in treating a sibling, or even, some say, a mother who later developed breast cancer. (Lewin, 1996)
Overall, it seems that when it comes to donating cord blood, it is purely up to the family to decide if they find this to be a good choice for them; it seems most important to consider long term cost and the likelihood of ever using the blood. Umbilical cord blood is still very new in terms of research and medical merit, meaning it has a long path ahead before it is a widely accepted source. Facilities are still working on becoming accredited donor banks, uses are still being researched, and families are still being convinced of the benefits in the delivery room. Personally, I think that UCB has the opportunity to change the quality of life for many people and I think that it is a very exciting source for the clinical part of medicine. To be able to treat cancer by giving the body healthy cells that can develop into exactly what is needed is a very amazing concept. I am eager to see how this progresses in the future as it is something that could literally change a person’s
Indeed, Dr. Kurtzberg and others who perform such transplants say that even if it were available, they would not transplant a leukemic child’s own umbilical cord blood, both because it might contain some leukemic cells and because a donor’s blood would be more likely to have the immunity to fight off leukemia. But a healthy baby’s blood might be useful in treating a sibling, or even, some say, a mother who later developed breast cancer. (Lewin, 1996)
Overall, it seems that when it comes to donating cord blood, it is purely up to the family to decide if they find this to be a good choice for them; it seems most important to consider long term cost and the likelihood of ever using the blood. Umbilical cord blood is still very new in terms of research and medical merit, meaning it has a long path ahead before it is a widely accepted source. Facilities are still working on becoming accredited donor banks, uses are still being researched, and families are still being convinced of the benefits in the delivery room. Personally, I think that UCB has the opportunity to change the quality of life for many people and I think that it is a very exciting source for the clinical part of medicine. To be able to treat cancer by giving the body healthy cells that can develop into exactly what is needed is a very amazing concept. I am eager to see how this progresses in the future as it is something that could literally change a person’s