The scientific journal Cell Transplantation has 2 studies that have explored umbilical cord blood stem cell treatments for lung and heart disorders. Both studies were conducted using animals so they are very preliminary, but they offer great potential for future treatments. In one study, researchers investigated the therapeutic benefits of transplanting human umbilical cord blood …
Continue ReadingTwo Units of Cord Blood Reduces Likelihood of Recurrence of Leukemia
A recent study conducted at the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota discovered that transplantation of 2 units of cord blood significantly reduces the likelihood of recurrence of leukemia. This finding may change treatment protocol for patients who are at high risk for recurrence of leukemia and other cancers of the blood and bone marrow. …
Continue ReadingCord Blood Used in Treatment
Last year, we worked closely with a family that had banked their baby’s cord blood with M.A.Z.E. The cord blood was needed for a transplant in a clinical trial to potentially treat cerebral palsy. Read about the family and the results of the cord blood transplant for cerebral palsy treatment.
Continue ReadingCord Blood Banking Information
Choosing a cord blood bank is a difficult decision. There are so many different cord blood banks and many of them make different claims. How do you differentiate between those claims that are important for your cord blood processing and storage and those claims that sound good in marketing materials? While we, of course, believe …
Continue ReadingWho Owns Your Baby’s Cord Blood?
Banking your baby’s cord blood is a way to save it for your baby’s future. Some people wonder if the cord blood will be available if it is needed. If you bank it with a private cord blood bank, it will definitely be available. A private cord blood bank stores the cord blood for you, …
Continue ReadingCord Blood Treatments In Utero
Researchers at Duke University are looking at the possibility of treating children. using cord blood, before they are born. The scientists are exploring the treatment of metabolic diseases including Krabbe disease, metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), Pelizaeus-Maerzbacher Disease (PMD), Tay-Sachs disease, or Sandoff disease. The babies will be treated, while in utero, using stem cells from banked …
Continue ReadingCord Blood Banking — Stimulus Package Supports Cord Blood Research
Breaking news last week of federal stimulus funding allocated to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center had meaningful and exciting implications for future research regarding the transfusion of cord blood stem cells to treat blood tumors such as leukemia. The institution will receive more than $40 million across 60 research grants under the American Recovery …
Continue ReadingCord Blood As Treatment for Stroke
I recently read an article discussing umbilical cord blood stem cell transplants used for the treatment of stroke. Researchers at the Chi Mei Medical Center in Taiwan used mice to test the effectiveness of umbilical cord blood transplants in treating paralysis, a common, post-stroke problem. The study discovered that the cord blood improved the animals’ …
Continue ReadingCheck Out This Blog
A colleague recently discovered an interesting blog. Natalie Curry was the first U.S. citizen to receive a cord blood stem cell transplant. Born in 1985, suffering from Fanconi Anemia, Natalie needed a stem cell transplant. Unable to fine an HLA match through bone marrow, her parents decided to conceive another child as a potential match. …
Continue ReadingCord Blood Stem Cells Are Turned into Embryonic Stem Cells
Scientists at the Salk Institute have been able to reprogram cord blood stem cells to make them very similar to embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are very valuable because they can theoretically be turned into any type of cell. They are controversial because embryos must be destroyed to harvest them. Using reprogrammed adult stem …
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