Role of cord blood in regenerative medicine
Context:
- Cord blood banking is not a type of “biological insurance,” and its use in regenerative medicine is hypothetical. It is only suggested if a relative (siblings or biological parents only) is currently suffering from an illness that has been found to benefit from an allogenic stem cell transplant.
Within cord blood:
- The newborn’s blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord after birth is known as cord blood.
- Umbilical cord blood is a key source of hematopoietic stem cells, which are unique cells that can be employed to treat particular disorders.
- The body’s hematopoietic stem cells can develop into numerous kinds of blood cells.
- Cord blood banking is promoted all over the world as a source of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation into patients with haematological malignancies and other illnesses when their usage is advised (derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood).
Storing cord blood:
- Umbilical cord blood is kept in a system called a cord blood bank so it can be used later.
- Both private and public cord blood banks have been established in response to the possibility of using cord blood to treat immunological and blood-related illnesses.
- Public cord blood banks are similar to public blood banks in that they accept donations that can be utilised to assist anybody in need. The idea of public cord blood banking has previously received more favourable reception from the medical community. In private cord blood banks, only the cord blood of the donor or the donor’s family is kept for potential use.
- The storage of cord blood for one’s own use in the future, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is not supported by science, which raises ethical and societal issues.
- The ICMR is against the use of stem cells for medicinal purposes and commercial cord blood banking.
Cryopreservation and cord blood collection:
- After the umbilical cord has been severed, cord blood is obtained from the foetal end of the cord.
- The placenta can provide more stem cells. The placenta is delivered to the stem cell lab where it is treated for additional stem cells after the medical expert extracts cord blood from the placental end of the umbilical cord. To guarantee there are enough cells for a transplant, at least 75mL of cord blood must be collected.
- The cord blood is tested for infections like HIV and Hepatitis B and C before being kept for later use. The type of human leukocyte antigen is also determined through tissue typing.
- Additionally, the molecular cluster, blood group antigen, nucleated cell count, cell viability, blood group antigen ABO & Rh blood group system, and molecular cluster will all be evaluated.
- After being collected, the lab processes the cord blood unit before freezing it.
- For the cord blood to survive the cryogenic procedure, a cryopreserved must be added, regardless of how the unit is processed. The cord blood unit can be placed in a liquid nitrogen tank to maintain freezing at 196 °C after being gradually cooled to 90 °C.
The use of cord blood:
- Cord blood stem cells are increasingly being used to treat a range of serious disorders, most notably cancer, blood issues, immunological and genetic diseases, even though they are most frequently received from donors.
- Recent research has demonstrated that, especially for young patients, cord blood transplants have distinct advantages over conventional bone marrow transplants.
- In rare circumstances where a matching bone marrow donor cannot be found, cord blood infusions may even be able to save a patient’s life.
- Sibling matches using cord blood are 25% likely, and parent and grandparent matches are 50% likely.
Benefits of cord blood banking:
- Compared to bone marrow, cord blood is a more common source of stem cells. This is due to the fact that, unlike a bone marrow transplant, cord blood does not have to exactly mirror the recipient’s own blood.
- Cord blood stem cells are less likely to be rejected by the body than bone marrow stem cells.
- During cancer therapies, cord blood stem cells might help the immune system. The utilisation of bone marrow stem cells is not a part of this method.
- Bone marrow harvest is more difficult, painful, and dangerous for the donor than cord blood collection.
- The infant or the mother who is giving birth are not at risk from the cord blood harvest.
Concerns about cord blood banking:
- It may not be wise or advantageous to use one’s own cord blood cells, especially in situations of leukaemia and cancer in children. Because the blood also bears the same genetic abnormality, children who regularly suffer immunological problems are frequently not candidates for transplantation using their own cord blood.
- Another concern is the potential presence of the same cancer that was later identified in the cord blood unit.
Conclusion:
- Through commercial cord blood banking, newborns’ umbilical cord blood stem cells are preserved in anticipation of potential future medical applications.
- The decision to keep cord blood is a personal one that should be based on particular circumstances and elements, such as the likelihood that the cells would be required in the future and the family’s history of genetic issues.
- It is important to do extensive research, weigh your options, and consider the cost, storage options, and reputation of the facility before deciding on a cord blood banking option.
