When a woman becomes pregnant for the first time, they had to make many decisions. During pregnancy, the umbilical cord is the life of the baby attached to the placenta. The umbilical cord contains two feet twisted long vein which transports oxygen and nutrients from the mother’s placenta. Also, two arteries which carries oxygen as well as nutrient less blood from foetus to mother. As the blood of mother does not mixes with the foetal blood so the placental and the cord blood belongs to the baby.

The umbilical cord is previously considered as medical waste but now-a-days it can be said as a biological treasure. Previously the stem cells are being extracted from the bone marrow of the patient itself but this process was too much painful. The reason behind is the extraction of stem cells from bone marrow requires surgery that is being done by the use of anaesthesia and also requires drug which helps in stimulating the production of stem cells.

However, the process of stem cells extraction from the umbilical cord blood is painless and is done during the birth of the baby. Stem cells are basically blank cells that can be transformed into any cell type like a muscle cell, a brain cell, or a red blood cell. Through their sibling donor cord blood transplantation program, which began in 1997, Children’s Hospital Oakland doctors used stem cells from umbilical cord blood to cure more than 100 children with chronic blood-related diseases. According to the American Cancer Society, however, at least 16,000 people with chronic autoimmune disorders are unable to receive the bone marrow or cord blood transplantation they need every year as they cannot find a match.

Some researchers suspect that there are other cells in the umbilical cord blood that may have therapeutic effects beyond the blood. For example, specialized immune cells can tweak brain function. Trials around the world are currently under investigation to study the capabilities of umbilical cord blood in a wide range of diseases such as cerebral palsy, autism, diabetes, and lupus. In Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, the cells are even being tested for an improving role.

Researchers are excited about the potential powers of these cells. But it is far from clear what this scientific hope means for expectant parents facing cord blood banking decisions. There are many reasons for all the promise why umbilical cord cells may be less useful than thought. Apart from the drawbacks, the use of umbilical cord blood is much more important for saving the life of any patient. Hence storing of the stem cells from the placenta or the umbilical cord is useful.

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Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent stem cells which can give rise to various types of cells that builds up a human body. The embryonic cells are formed from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst and the blastocyst is the early stage of the embryo before the implantation. Adult stem cells have demonstrated an effective human therapeutic potential. Currently, human embryonic stem cells are used principally for understanding growth and disease development but also hold enormous medicinal potential.

The capability to preserve stem cells is difficult for their use in medical applications. The benefits of stem cell preservation allow the movement of cells between sites, as well as completion of safety and quality testing. Preservation allows the development of a ‘manufacturing paradigm’ for cell therapies, thereby maximizing the number of products that can be produced at a given facility

Let Us Explore the Benefits Of Preserving Stem Cells

1. It Can Save Life

Umbilical cord blood is an extremely rich source of stem cells that are used to treat more than 80 life threatening diseases and disorders – including cancer, blood disorders, immune system disorders, and genetic diseases. Stem cells can also rebuild the immune system after chemotherapy and be used as an alternative to a bone marrow transplant.

2. Cord Blood Stem Cells Will Always Be a Perfect Match for Your Baby

There are no ifs or buts about this.

Stem cells can help to repair or rebuild injured or damaged cells for your child and potentially other family members too.

3. Cord Blood Stem Cells Have Potential Sibling/Family Use

There’s a 1:4 (25%) chance of being a perfect match for a sibling. With cord blood transplants, it is however not always necessary to have a perfect match and, depending, for example, on the number of stem cells in the collection, a lesser match may be acceptable.

4. Stem Cell Research is Revealing Exciting Future Uses

Science is progressing every day. There are already a number of clinical trials which are being undertaken with umbilical cord blood and cord tissue stem cells – these include clinical trials for blood disorders, as well as for neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, autism, stroke, anoxic and traumatic brain injury, for diabetes and, for example, for muscle repair and arthritis.

5. Umbilical Cord Stem Cells Have Greater Therapeutic Potential

Umbilical cord stem cells are young and active in comparison with stem cells from other sources like the bone marrow which mean that they can differentiate faster. Think of it as the master template!

The umbilical cord blood stem cells are also more ‘immunologically naïve’ than bone marrow stem cells as they have not been exposed to outside immune stimulation (such as infections). In allogeneic transplants (such as between siblings) they are less likely to cause the transplant-related complication of graft-versus-host disease.

Another important reason to store at birth is that your baby’s stem cells will be collected and ready to use immediately if necessary. There is no need to take the time to locate a possible donor for bone marrow and then determine whether he or she is still willing and able to donate if required for a sibling transplant.

A 1 in a 100 000 chance isn’t enough – depending on a person’s tissue type, the chance of finding a bone marrow donor may be less than 1 in a 100 000.

6. You Can Store Your Baby’s Stem Cells For 20 Years or More

Stem cells are stored in special cryo-preservation bags which are overwrapped and placed, individually, in aluminium protective cases. Each sample is labelled with a unique identifying code and stored, in a cryo-preservation tank, in the vapour phase of liquid nitrogen (at approximately minus 196°c). Evidence shows that after 23 years of preservation at these world-class standards, stem cells are still healthy and good to use. Therefore, it is conceivable that these cells will be stored for many years in the future – making it a lasting gift to your children that could even be passed on to grandkids.

7. You Have An Option of Storing Your Baby’s Stem Cells Locally or Internationally

If you are moving countries, you can chat to stem cell banks about moving the storage somewhere close to you. It can be shipped in their frozen state anywhere in the world. You would, however, be liable for the cost of the relocation.

The use of stem cells to treat injury or disorders by introducing healthy cells to damaged tissues has been considered a medical breakthrough and nowadays it has become the best possible treatment for a wide range of diseases. These include the treatment of some deadly diseases whose cure is not being discovered yet. So, before getting too late let us save the umbilical cord and preserve it for further use.

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There have been many treatments and studies that suggested excessive burst of new brain cells after TBI helped in the recovery of the patients better. Breaking this common assumption, Dr. Viji Santhakurmar (Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University) and her colleagues proved otherwise with their report. They challenged this assumption and found that an excessive neurogenesis may, in fact, lead to memory decline, seizures.

Neurogenesis after Brain Injury May Lead to Memory Decline, Seizures

It has been proposed that increase in neurogenesis aids in the repair of the injured brain network. However, survivors of traumatic brain injury often develop life-changing disorders such as a decrease in memory as well as epileptic seizures.

Researchers found there was a considerate increase in the new nerve cell growth (neurogenesis) that was probably to help replace the damaged or destroyed brain cells. However, Santhakumar and her colleagues found evidence contradictory to the popular belief. They found the spike in brain cell growth may, in fact, lead to post-injury seizures and long-term memory decline.

This team from Reuters University examined brain injuries in lab rats and found that brain cells at the injury site play an important role. These cells double in number within 3 days after injury; however, they decrease by more than half after a month as compared to rats with no brain injury. The neural stem cells develop into mature cells too showed a similar increase and decrease pattern. Thus, proving they were responsible for the loss of brain cells.

As quoted by Professor Viji Santhakumar in a press release, “There is an initial increase in birth of new neurons after a brain injury but within weeks, there is a dramatic decrease in the normal rate at which neurons are born, depleting brain cells that under normal circumstances should be there to replace damaged cells and repair the brain’s network. The excess new neurons lead to epileptic seizures and could contribute to cognitive decline. It is normal for the birth of new neurons to decline as we age. But what we found in our study was that after a head injury the decline seems to be more rapid.”

According to the study, post-injury changes in the development of new cells along with the neural precursor cell proliferation led to a long-term decline in the neurogenic capacity. When the post-injury neurogenesis was reduced early on resulted in dentate excitability and seizure susceptibility.

To achieve this goal of slowing down nerve cell growth after injury, researchers used anti-cancer drugs that are under clinical trials currently. These drugs are known to block the growth and survival of new nerve cells. The drugs were able to stop the rapid proliferation of the nerve cells and prevented the long-term decline in brain cells that lead to memory decline in lab rats. It also showed the rats had reduced risk of seizures after administration of these drugs.

Dr. Santhakumar says that they believe in limiting the process of rapid growth of nerve cells will prove to be helpful in stopping the seizures after brain injury.

These findings spark hope for those with TBI that one day these methods will definitely help in reducing the short-term and long-term symptoms that alter the life of the patients after a challenging injury to the brain.

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Cord blood has opened a new gateway in the field of alternative medicine.  Even though the concept of cord blood has been around since 1983, the first ever successful cord blood transplant was conducted on a six year old boy, who was suffering from Fanconi’s Anemia in 1983. Since then umbilical cord blood has been used in numerous therapies and transplants successfully.

Cord blood banking is a process of collecting stem cells in which umbilical cord blood is clamped and cut after a baby is born. These stem cells are adaptable cells that have the ability to regenerate and regrow. For this quality, these stem cells are used in treating more than 80 diseases and disorders now. There are two types of cord blood banking: Private and Public.

In private cord blood banking, you can store your baby’s store blood by investing a small amount of money. In exchange, you would retain the sole ownership of the stem cells, derived from the cord blood. This is the reason that more and more parents are opting for private cord blood banking, so they can use the stem cells any time in the future. On the contrary, you donate your cord blood in a public cord blood bank. Once donated, you cannot claim it in the future. Stem cells stored in public cord blood banks are used primarily in researchers and medical studies.

Once you save your baby’s cord blood, the stem cells can be used to treat any member of the close family circuit. For example, if you save your younger child’s cord blood, the stem cells can be transplanted to your elder child. They can also be used to treat any disease or disorder in you or your partner.

And the amazing part is, there is no need to match the cells before the transplant unlike bone marrow transplants. In bone marrow transplants, doctors need to go for graft vs. host disease (GVHD) matching, just to ensure safety and stability of the transplant. With cord blood stem cells, doctors can do away with GVHD matching. Since umbilical cord blood stem cells are inborn in nature, they are adaptive to any circumstances. Therefore the chances of rejection are also minimal to zero.

Now let’s take a look at the diseases and disorders that can be treated with cord blood stem cells.

Researchers have proved that cord blood stem cells can treat many types of cancer such as lymphoma, leukemia, and autoimmune. Apart from that these stem cells are extremely useful in treating the aftereffects of stroke, diabetes, and spinal cord injuries. Disorders like autism, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease are also treated with cord blood stem cells. Patients treated with the stem cells have shown immense improvement in the first 6 months.

So, once you save your child’s umbilical cord blood with a private cord blood bank, you can not only safeguard your child’s future, but also protect your family. Even though there is a fee attached, but for a safer and worry-free future, it’s totally worth it.

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Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells. These cells are the specialized cells that are able to differentiate into other types of cells. They also have the ability to replace affected cells with new cells. For this reason, cord blood stem cells have been used in many transplants, where patients require regrowth of cells by replacing the affected ones. In this article, we will see how stem cells are being used to treat various lung and kidney diseases.

Earlier researches have shown successful transplants by differentiating stem cells into brain cells, blood cells or skin cells. Now the scientists at the University of Minnesota have shown how to differentiate cord blood stem cells into lung cells.

By conducting the transplant with cord blood stem cells, the researchers at the University of Minnesota were able to treat the airway in lungs, damaged after an injury. This was a major breakthrough in the history of medical research and would be helpful to detect and understand different types of lung diseases. Also, the scientists would now have the ability to test different drugs to treat the diseases and measure their effects on patients.

The research showed that these cells were also helpful to treat lung diseases like cystic fibrosis in babies with their own cord blood stem cells. Apart from that, the new development in the field of stem cells also ensures better understanding in lung diseases and different stages of lung development.

A new research further showed the importance of cord blood stem cells in treating kidney related diseases. According to the findings, the mesenchymal stem cells, which are derived from full-term umbilical cord blood, have the ability to repair kidney tissues by developing bone and cartilage. A team of researchers in Italy conducted a research on a mice model to treat renal failure. This condition occurs when kidneys cannot remove urine and waste. The mice were treated with cord blood mesenchymal stem cells. After the transplant, the scientists had seen improvements in their kidney functions.

This ensures faster recovery from kidney problems, which are resulted from tissue damage. With this study, patients suffering from acute kidney related diseases, are hopeful to recover and relive a normal life. However more studies are required to come to a full-proof solution to treat kidney diseases in humans with mesenchymal stem cells.

Lupus is an inflammatory disease that damages our joints, skin, and kidneys. It may also be life-threatening once it affects the kidneys. New studies proved that stem cells are useful to treat severe lupus. Northwestern Hospital in Chicago conducted a study involving 50 patients with lupus. All of them went through stem cells transplants. After treatment, 25 patients got rid of the disease after five years while 84% of them survived from the condition.

Cord blood stem cells have the potential to treat many acute diseases, which did not have any proper treatments before. However, more and more researchers are needed to understand the diseases and how they spread and affect. Only then the scientists will be able to come to the ultimate solution.

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Do you know what the building blocks of our blood and immune system are? Stem cells. These stem cells have the potential to grow into different types of cells in order to repair cell damage in the associated tissues and organs. For this reason, stem cells are considered a major component in the modern regenerative medicine.

Stem cells are found in various parts of human body like bone marrow, blood, embryos, muscle, hair follicles, fetal tissue, baby teeth and fat. But not all stem cells can be used in clinical procedures. Umbilical cord blood is the richest source of stem cells that can be effectively used in therapeutic applications.

These stem cells are collected from the umbilical cord blood right after a baby is born. The cord blood is collected once the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. The blood is then processed to derive stem cells and preserved, so it remains intact for years. The process is completely safe and poses no harm to the mother and the new born.

After the cord blood stem cells are preserved successfully, the parents of the baby can use the stem cells, if the baby needs any transplant anytime in the future. Apart from that, if any of the family members needs a transplant, the family can easily claim the stored stem cell for the procedure.

Why Storing Cord Blood Should Be Considered?

Cord blood stem cells can treat more than 80 diseases and disorders. Once preserved, you can claim the stem cells for the treatment of any family members. Your elder child can also be treated with the stem cells of your younger child.

Moreover, stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood are immature. Like new born cells, they don’t know how to attack any foreign body. For this reason, using umbilical cord blood is always a safer option.

With umbilical cord blood, you don’t need to wait or look for a suitable matching donor. On the contrary, with bone marrow or peripheral blood, you need to wait for an unrelated matching donor. The reason being, cord blood stem cells are less likely to reject the transplant.

What Diseases and Disorders Can Be Treated With Umbilical Cord Blood?

Latest studies have shown that conditions like autism and cerebral palsy can be treated with cord blood stem cells. A 2017 study demonstrated that children with autism showed significant improvements in the first six months of the procedure. So, it’s proved that the symptoms of both these disorders can be treated with stem cells.

Studies showed that patients with cancer shows better results if they are treated with their own cord blood stem cells. Some study also show that umbilical cord blood stem cells work wonderfully on cancers that are not genetically derived.

Apart from cancer, there are other conditions like heart failure, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, stroke, diabetes that can be treated with umbilical cord blood. While the above-mentioned treatments are concerned, bone marrow is still the first choice for doctors and patients. The main reason is, in most of the cases umbilical cord blood is not preserved.

There have been hundreds of clinical trials and many have shown successful results. If you store your baby’s cord blood, you would be able to use them if situation demands.

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Meet Alysson Muotri, an autism researcher and a professor at UC San Diego. His research mostly revolves around autism and how stem cell therapy impacts the brain development. His study is based on pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), collected from people with autism. The researchers in his team are using the stem cells to model the condition in a lab dish. His team is trying to point out the affected cells and at the same time, invent a potential drug to cure the disorder.

When asked about his research about autism, Dr. Muotri expressed his frustration about no available models to understand the disorder at the first place. His team is involved in making a mini brain, because he thinks less accessibility to the human brain is the main reason that there is no proper tool or model to treat autism.

He said, “As a neuroscientist studying autism, I was frustrated with the lack of a good experimental model to understand autism. All the previous models (animal, postmortem brain tissues, etc.) have serious experimental limitations. The inaccessibility of the human brain has blocked the progress of research on ASD for a long time. Cellular reprogramming allows us to transform easy-access cell types (such as skin, blood, dental pulp, etc.) into brain cells or even “mini-brains” in the lab.”

He also briefed about how this process works. As they will be able to capture the genome of the affected person, it will be easy for them to track early phases of his/her neurodevelopment. He elaborately explained the process, as he said, “This is crucial to study neurodevelopment disorders, such as ASD, because of the strong genetic factor underlying the pathology [the cause of a disease]. By comparing “mini-brains” between an ASD and neurotypical [non-ASD] groups, we can find anatomical and functional differences that might explain the clinical symptoms.”
While talking about his model, he mentioned that his team mainly uses genome editing techniques and reprogramming stem cells. The reprogramming stem cells are used to create organoids or mini brains. And the genome editing techniques help in generating 3D organoid models. These organoids grow into the mature brains in the lab. The process is quite similar to that of fetal brain, so the researchers can track the structure and development over time.

About this new model, he said, “This new model brings something novel to the table: the ability to experimentally test specific hypotheses in a human background. For example, we can ask if a specific genetic variant is causal for an autistic individual. Thus, we can edit the genome of that autistic individual, fixing target mutations in these mini-brains and check if now the fixed mini-brains will develop any abnormalities seen in ASD.”

He is, currently, running a clinical trial involving IGF-1, or insulin growth factor-1. He is very hopeful that a drug will soon be discovered to treat autism. He said, “I am a big enthusiastic fan of personalized treatments for ASD. While we continue to search for a treatment that could help a large fraction of ASD people, we also recognized that some cases might be easier than others depending on their genetic profile.”

With that, he assures that his team is also working on a tool to diagnosis autism. This would certainly help parents and doctors to initiate treatments and therapies at an early stage, even before the symptoms start to appear.

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Are you going to be a new parent? Have you thought about cord blood banking?

Cord blood banking is a process to store and preserve your newborn’s umbilical cord blood right after the birth. The cord blood, in turn, is processed to get stem cells that have the ability to save your baby and your family from a number of diseases and conditions. For this reason, cord blood banking is now very common among by new parents. Even doctors, these days, are recommending cord bloods banking to utilize the infant stem cells to their utmost potential. But when it comes to cord blood banking, there are a number of notions you will hear as an expectant parent. Let’s see what doctors have actually recommended and what you should know about the process:

Critical for life threatening diseases and conditions

Doctors recommend cord blood banking because it can save you and your family from a number of critical diseases including cancer. Apart from that it can be used to treat the symptoms of various conditions including cerebral palsy and autism. In all these cases, transplants are dependent on suitable and unrelated matching donor. But cord blood banking ensures a closer match, as it’s taken from a family member. So, once you preserve a cord blood unit, it can offer you a lifetime of security.
Dr. Tiffany Werbin-Silver, MD said, “One of the things I bring up at the 20 Week mark is cord blood banking. Cord blood is the blood flowing through the placenta to the baby, and once delivery occurs, you capture it at that moment, and you have it for a potential lifetime, not only for the baby who is born, who serves as its own perfect match, but for family members.”

Cord blood may have other uses you don’t know

There are a number of researches going on involving cord blood stem cells and even doctors don’t know about its full potential. A few years back, people did not know that stem cells had the ability to treat some of the symptoms of autism. Now several trails are under to find out effectiveness of stem cell therapy in such nervous system disorders.
Dr. Preete Bhanot, MD said, “Right now clinical trials are going on to use these cells for children with autism, with hearing loss. In five years, we may have so many more things that we can use these cells for. It is a great investment. You have to do it. I can’t stress that enough.”

What should the expectant parents know

Doctors recommend that new parents should be aware of the high potential of cord blood banking from the first day. They also should know about the diseases and conditions that stem cell therapy can treat. All the information helps them make an informed decision for their baby.

Dr. Shetal Mansuria, MD said, “What I explain to patients is that the uses are incredible. Treatments of things like lymphomas, leukemias. I know that it can save lives and I have seen it save a life, and I always tell patients that. In that case, it made the difference for this child. The uses are incredible. I think everybody should bank.”

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Doctors often recommend cord blood banking to expectant parents. And they have a number of reasons for doing so. First of all, if you have any family history of diseases, cord blood can offer you a safer future. Secondly, umbilical cord blood is the source of newborn stem cells, which are unique in many ways from the other type of stem cells. Apart from being able to differentiate into different types of cells, they have a lower risk of viral contamination and high proliferation ability. Moreover, once you store your child’s umbilical cord blood, the stem cells will be readily available to you in the future, whenever you may need them. There will be no dependency on finding a matched donor for the transplant.

If you are still thinking, here are some facts that will help you make an informed decision:

Cord blood can cure more than 80+ diseases and disorders:

Cord blood has opened a new getaway in personalized medicine. So far, cord blood stem cells have cured 80+ diseases including different types of cancer. And more than 35000 patients have recovered from their diseases with the help of cord blood stem cell transplant. Apart from various types of cancer, these stem cells can cure blood disorders, immune disorders and metabolic disorders.
Cord blood has the ability to regenerate and rebuild: It’s believed that cord blood stem cell therapy is a regenerative medicine, which is relatively new but has tremendous potential to repair damaged tissues and cells. For this reason, doctors and researchers consider this therapy as the next big thing in the future of medical science. Among all the sources of stem cells, umbilical cord blood is the richest source and has all the factors that are needed for a successful transplant.

Cord blood stem cells are ageless and are easily available once you store them:

Once these stem cells are preserved, processed and stored, they permanently retain their agelessness. Unlike other stem cells, umbilical cord blood stem cells are newborn, so they are less likely to attack the immune system of the patients. These stem cells remain in the condition for several years, so if you or any of your family members need them for any transplant, they will be instantly available. And you will not have to wait for an unrelated matching donor.

Several clinical trials are underway to find cure to new diseases:

Apart from those 80 diseases, mentioned earlier, several clinical studies are going on to see how impactful these stem cells are in treating diseases like hearing loss, heart conditions, Parkinson’s disease, autism, burn injuries, Alzheimer’s disease, lung problems, liver problems, bone injury, spinal cord injuries etc. Several trials have shown successful results already and it’s not a distant dream that scientists will be able to treat these diseases and disorders with umbilical stem cells.

So if you invest in storing your newborn’s umbilical cord blood now, it would not only save your child from future diseases, but also secure your family’s future and ensure your peace of mind. Decide wisely.

Sources:
https://www.babycenter.com/0_cord-blood-banking-what-it-is-why-consider-it_1362261.bc
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/features/banking-your-babys-cord-blood

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Comeback stories are inspiring. They give us hope for the future. This story is about Dream Alliance, a horse whose comeback story to recover from Achilles tendon injuries will offer hope for many. Wondering why this is a big story? Read on.

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in our body that connects the calf muscle with the heel bone. The Achilles tendon goes through a lot when we run or jump or lead an active life. This is the reason that many athletes and players suffer from Achilles tendon injuries. However what makes it worse is, almost 25 to 45% of these injuries need surgery and the patients’ lives largely depend on the crutches.

Dream Alliance went through an Achilles tendon injury while running in a race in 2008. He cut a tendon in the front leg. His condition was so critical that he was almost considered to be euthanized. But a stem cell treatment helped him recover from his injury and at the same time get back on his career. The process was very simple. Bone marrow was collected from the hip of the horse and mesenchymal stem cells were isolated. The mesenchymal stem cells were moved to a petri dish in order to create millions of cells. Once the required amount of cells were produced, they were injected into the affected tendon directly.

The procedure conducted by the researchers at the University College of London and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital proved successful for the horses. Now the team is conducting a stem cell clinical trial to treat Achilles tendon injuries in humans. Andrew Goldberg, the team lead of the study explained, “Tendon injuries in horses are identical to those in humans, and using this evidence from the 1500 treated horses] we were able to persuade the regulators to allow us to launch a small safety study in humans.”

So far the trial involving humans is going well and is showing positive results. One of the patients, who was suffering from Achilles tendon injury said, “I worried, because no one had ever had it before, except a horse. But I was more worried I’d end up in a wheelchair. The difference now is amazing. I can do five miles on the treadmill without pain, and take my dog Honey on long walks again.” The 46-year old used to lead a very busy life until she started feeling a severe ankle pain, as a result of an Achilles tendon injury.

The team at the University College of London and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital is still unsure on how this therapy works to heal the tendon injury; however, they have used the mesenchymal stem cells, which have the regeneration ability. They are also known to reduce inflammation. The first case’s being successful is very motivating. Researchers are hopeful that they will be able to find out a definite cure for Achilles tendon injuries for humans. For an effective result, researchers need a large number of patients, so that they can gather the varied data in one single study.

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What if we told you that you could view transparent human cells? The Allen Institute for Cell Science researchers have invented a new data imaging technique in order to see the inside of stem cells. The images are not animation of cells, rather based on the insights derived from high quality photomicrographs with 6,000 induced pluripotent stem cells or IPS cells. All these stem cells are collected from human skin. The team fondly calls the technology as Allen Cell Explorer.

The process involved the IPS cells undergoing a gene editing, so the fluorescent markers could be attached to form 11 types of different structures. The idea was to know the inner machinery of our cell system. Followed by this, the researchers applied a deep analyzing computational method to document the entire structure of each stem cell, as viewed from the 3D maps.

Rick Horwitz, The executive director of the Allen Institute for Cell Science said, “This is the first time researchers have used deep learning to try and understand the elusive question of how actual cells are organized. The cartoons we rely on in textbooks, which are based on an artist’s interpretation of data from a relatively small number of cells, will eventually be replaced by data-driven models of this kind from very large numbers of cells.”Molly Maleckar, the director of modeling shared the complexity of this system, as she mentioned, “We’re actually having brainstorming sessions to see what else can we do with this data.”

The tool will prove a path breaking discovery in the history of medical science, as predicted by the scientists, as they can now see the changes the cells go through after receiving various drugs. Susanne Rafelski, the director of assay development said, “The idea that we can build a cell, and think of the cell as a whole, and see how that cell changes as it grows, divides, differentiates or gets sick – to me, it’s really a new frontier in thinking about cells and the cellular basis of disease.”

In other words, cell functions like mitochondria, microtubules and cell-to-cell junctions are the challenges that scientists wanted to address with this invention. Maleckar remarked, “There’s this assumption outside the world of cell biology that people must know where everything is. … That’s actually not true.”

The tool is often compared to the city maps that show all the highways, power plants, toll booths inside a city. Apart from the Allen Cell Explorer, there is a 3D Cell viewer that highlights 3D visualization of stem cells. There is also a cell catalog that shows all the required information about the gene-edited stem cell lines, offered by the institute. Any researcher can order the tools and the cell lines through a non-profit AddGene repository, run by the Allen Institute for Cell Science.

The team aims at a concrete visualization of stem cells as they are modified into different types of cells. Rafelski said, “It’s astounding that we get to do this, that we get to do science and then share science as beautifully as possible”, while Maleckar added, “I would absolutely agree. Science altruism: It really works.”

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According to a recent study, published in Stem Cell Reports on April 6, a new set of improved tools are here to advance stem cell researches. The study was led by Dr. Kelly Frazer, the professor of pediatrics and director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at University of California San Diego School of Medicine. The team described the collection of “222 systematically derived and characterized iPSC lines generated as part of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s NextGen consortium.”

The Stem Cell Reports is one of the four studies, published by four different teams of researchers. But Frazer is the common factor in all four as he is senior author for all of them. The fourth study concentrated on iPSCORE, whereas the other three studies utilized the iPSCORE resource in order to explore answers to different questions related to human genetics. Some of the studies also focused on developing new tools to analyze iPSC lines.

The study confirmed that the induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs are collected from human adult cells. These cells are able to be differentiated in order to transform into a variety of cell types. By using this attribute, the scientists will be able to use the tool for all critical medical trails; from analyzing molecular processes that cause diseases to genetic variants that lead to human phenotypes.

According to Kelly Frazer, the iPSC Collection for Omic Research or iPSCORE is a collection that will be capable to address various issues that are currently disturbing iPSCs use as a standard system to study human genetics.

He mentioned in the study, “The iPSCORE collection contains 75 lines from people of non-European ancestry, including East Asian, South Asian, African American, Mexican American, and Multiracial. It includes multigenerational families and monozygotic twins. This collection will enable us to study how genetic variation influences traits, both at a molecular and physiological level, in appropriate human cell types, such as heart muscle cells. It will help researchers investigate not only common but also rare, and even family-specific variations.”

Frazer and his team utilized the entire genome sequencing and gene expression analyzing 215 human iPSC lines, derived from different donors. The idea was to identify genetic variants related to RNA expression for 5,746 genes. The study highlighted that iPSCs are valuable to analyze genetic association investigate gene expression genetic regulation in pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). The team also showed important analysis and insights into aberrant methylation patterns in iPSCs. The patterns are helpful to use these cells in various studies as well as to treat diseases.

Another important thing to note in the study is, Frazer and his team built a set of easy-to-use techniques to decrease the cost and at the same time increase the production of effective iPSC lines. In other words, the group of scientists has invented a less expensive technique to develop highly effective iPSC lines. So, the invention will not only help the doctors to detect the source of the disease effectively, but also will help the medical teams to opt for it.

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What is autism? What makes autistic people different from others? What causes autism? There are hundreds of questions in people’s mind when it comes to this condition. What is it actually?

Autism is a mental condition that remains present from the early childhood days and lasts for a lifetime. It’s characterized by minor to major difficulties in social interaction and framing language abstract concepts. And the critical part is, it’s incurable. However, a new study shows that stem cell therapy may show great improvement in children with autism.

It’s the story of Gracie Gregory, one of the 25 autistic children who participated in the study at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina involving stem cells to tone down the issues associated with autism. The idea behind the research was to find out if a transfusion of the self-umbilical cord blood with the rare stem cells can cure autism or at least reduce the severity.

Gracie was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. When Gracie’s mother first came to know about the research, she immediately enrolled her without knowing what to expect and what not to expect. Such was the difficulty; they were facing with their autistic child. There was a time when Gracie’s sister, Ryleigh was afraid of her because of her unmanageable behavior like hitting and kicking. But now that very Ryleigh thinks Gracie is “very sweet and kind.” And it only became possible after the stem cell therapy.

Gracie was on the mild to moderate scale of autism. During the trial, Gracie, then 5, started with the same symptoms like kicking, spitting, screaming and even hitting her therapists. It was almost impossible to make her sit at one place.

The results were beyond what Gracie’s parents were expecting! Her parents recollects how difficult their life was back then when managing her would take 75% of their daily life and now after the therapy she only consumes 10% of their daily time. When asked about rating her improvement on a scale of 1 to 10, her parents proudly rated 8/9.

She now attends regular school, plays with her sister, and enjoys life to the fullest, something that her parent would never have thought of.

According to her father, “We will say we don’t think it’s cured her. You still see some of the small idiosyncrasies that she does have. But again, I think it’s supercharged her learning curve. It’s pushed her to do things she normally wouldn’t do.” Her mother added, “She got better, and we’re just thankful for that — whether it be the stem cells or not. We’re just thankful for what changes have happened”.

Two thirds of the children, involved in the study showed great improvement. This is the results of the first phase of the study and a broader second level trail is on its way, which promises a long-term treatment for autistic children.

Skeptics are still saying that no matter what autism cannot be cured and there are quite a few unanswered questions that need to be addressed before going gaga over it. Even researchers at Duke acknowledge that the study is at a very early stage and still there is a long way to go. But for families like Gregorys, it’s a life-changing experience.

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You might be thinking why Zika virus is a big deal for you, if you are an expectant mother?

Well, before that let’s just talk about what it is and how it spreads. Zika virus is mainly spread by mosquito bites and sexual transmission. The virus does not cause major harm to adults. But it greatly affects babies, if the mother contracts the virus during pregnancy.

So, coming back to the question, yes, Zika virus causes severe birth defects in newborn babies, born of Zika infected mothers. These babies develop microcephaly, a condition in which they are born with a significantly smaller brain, compared to other babies.

If all these have made you a bit worried and uncomfortable, here is some good news to make you feel a little safer. Cord blood banking! Yes, by securing a cord blood unit, you can be prepared for the future, no matter what.

However, here are some rules that pregnant parents should know about Zika infection and cord blood banking, if they are willing to donate their cord blood. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Cord Blood Association issued a guideline to protect cord blood units from potential Zika virus transmission on August 26, 2016. The guidelines are as mentioned below:

• The regulations are applicable to anyone who would collect and store blood components in private and public cord blood banks.
• All blood donations are recommended to be screened for the infection.
• If an expectant mother, willing to donate her baby’s cord blood unit, is found to be infected with Zika virus at any point of her pregnancy, her registration will be ineligible.
• She will be ineligible to donate her cord blood unit, if she stays in an active Zika cluster or travels to any such area during her pregnancy.
• If she had sex at any point of her pregnancy with a Zika infected male in the past six months, she will also be considered ineligible. The reason being, Zika virus can also be sexually transmitted.

Now you must be thinking, should you store your baby’s cord blood, if you are infected with Zika virus? The answer is yes. No matter if your baby is at risk of Zika virus or not, storing a cord blood unit will ensure a secure future. Moreover, all these guidelines and regulations stand for a fact that these stem cells are significantly rare. So, storing a cord blood unit and getting a bunch of life-saving stem cells is always a better option than having nothing in hand, when you need a transplant in the future. And just as mentioned earlier, Zika virus does not pose any major risk to male adults and non-pregnant women.

Cord blood banks take an extra screening process to check for Zika virus infection in order to eliminate any risk. After the screening process, if you are found to be at risk, your cord blood will still be collected and stored, so that any future illness of your family members can be treated. The processing and storing processes ensure that no cross contamination takes place.

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It’s tough to see the underlying problems with naked eyes when everything is going on smoothly. As soon as something goes wrong, we notice it, no matter how old the issue has been there. A human body is no different. Scientists are only able to study the cells, once they start acting weird. But the fact remains, if they get the access to study the healthy cells, they can contribute a lot to figure out how normal cells work and what it might take to keep them healthy.

The Allen Institute for Cell Science scientists have exactly done that. They invented a new technology in order to genetically alter human stem cells so that they glow! Yes, you heard it right. The gene-editing technology is called CRISPR/Cas9. The ultimate goal of the research team of the Allen Institute was to help researchers figure out how good-conditioned cells work and what happens when they start doing unwell.

The scientists inserted a genetic code into the stem cells so that they create fluorescent coloured proteins in the nucleus as well as in the mitochondria of the cells. When they tried to observe the stem cells under a fluorescent microscope, they found them glowing. The process promises a tool to study how human stem cells work in various organs.

Ruwanthi Gunawardane, The director of stem cells at the Allen Institute said, “We’re trying to understand how the cell behaves, how it functions, but flooding it with some external protein can really mess it up”, he added, “the CRISPR system allows us to go into the DNA—the blueprint—and insert a gene that allows the cell to express the protein in its normal environment. Then, through live imaging, we can watch the cell and understand how it works.”

The process of making the stem cells illuminated may sound easy but it required the team to run through several methods to finally come up with the full-proof tool. Previous experiments showed the cells flooded with fluorescent proteins and the results were unclear images.

The gene-edited stem cells can be used in a number of cases starting from improving on the regeneration process in organs and tissues to monitoring and treating drug users. However, the Allen Institute scientists have already started implementing them to study heart conditions. They used the illuminated stem cell lines to understand how differently stem cells act in heart tissues. They have introduced familiar disease-causing changes to the stem cells in order to know the dissimilarities between the healthy and unhealthy circulatory systems.

Rick Horwitz, the executive director of the Allen Institute for Cell Science said, “The number of scientists doing basic biology with stem cells is low, but the interest in using them to create disease-in-a-dish models is growing explosively. We think these cells will greatly enable that work.” He truly believes that gene editing will become one of the most popular tools in stem cells medical research.

The team has already built 5 types of glowing cell lines and has plans to create 20 stem cell lines by the end of 2017. Each cell line would be unique and would come with a unique cellular pattern. The genetically edited cells are available to scientists around the world.

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Modern medical science has proved many old notions wrong. Our belief that the adult brain cannot grow new neurons, is one of them. Researchers now have proved that the stem cells, present in our brains can generate new neurons and the use of Prozac or any other anti-depressant drug may help in neurogenesis (the growth of new nervous tissue). The discovery has also led to new insights like how an adult brain functions and what it might take to treat brain-related conditions such as depression.

RIKEN institute researchers have developed a new and non-invasive technique to detect the generation of new neurons from the stem cells in the brain. Measuring new brain cells non-invasively was, however, a challenging process. Both the Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the positron emission tomography (PET) scanning are risky and difficult to conduct and the signals, received are also non-definitive.  However, the RIKEN team has come up with the solution by adding proteins in the PET signals.

They used a clinically available drug in the PET process to block the transporter proteins. And the result was a clear neurogenesis signal. Yosky Kataoka, the lead of the team behind the study said, “This is a very interesting finding because it has been a long-time dream to find a noninvasive test that can give objective evidence of depression and simultaneously show whether drugs are working in a given patient.”

The study was conducted on rats. The PET technique involves injecting a small amount of a radioactive tracer to stick to a targeted molecule in tissues, so that the scientists can scan and track the gamma rays, emitting from that region. The rats were divided into two groups. Over the period of a month, the first group was given a stress hormone, corticosterone in order to induce a depression-like behavior. And the second group received both the corticosterone and the antidepressant drug, Prozac.

After they scanned the brains of the animals, they found out that the radioactivity was prominent enough to tell apart the differences between the damaging effects of the stress hormone and healing effects of the antidepressant. The PET scan signal helped the researchers to detect a decrease in neurogenesis in the first group of rats, who received only the stress hormone, whereas they found a recovery in neurogenesis in the second group of rats, who were given both the hormone and the drug.

The enhanced PET imaging method not only proved that the adult brain neurogenesis can be detected and measured, but it is also able to track the dynamic changes in the rate of the progress due to the antidepressants. The results confirmed that the first group, treated with the stress hormone, corticosterone, showed about 45% fewer newborn brain cells, compared to the untreated animals. However, the second group, who received both corticosterone and Prozac, displayed no such result.

Even though the experiment was entirely done on animals, the team is now eager to apply this non-invasive imaging technique to detect and measure depression in humans. Kataoka confirmed, “Since it is known that these same brain regions are involved in depression in the human brain, we would like to try this technique in the clinic and see whether it turns out to be effective in humans as well.”

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Japanese reproductive biologist, Katsuhiko Hayashi at the Kyushu University in Fukuoka, headed the research that published its findings in the journal known as ‘Nature’ on how they had been able to produce mouse eggs from mouse stem cells under laboratory conditions and then pushed the eggs towards fertilisation, yielding a fertile offspring as the end result. This is usually a territory that scientists tread with utmost caution.

The work is a “stunning achievement,” says George Daley of Harvard Medical School in Boston, who was not involved in the project.

Pluripotent Stem Cells and Mouse Eggs

Oocytes, or egg cells were produced from induced pluripotent stem cells derived from mouse skin cells and mouse embryonic stem cells under clinical conditions in a petri-dish. The characteristics of both stem cell types enable them to generate almost any cell type in the human body.

Utilizing the sperm from a healthy male mouse, through IVF or vitro fertilization process, the research team fertilized the egg cells. They team only transplanted the fertilized eggs into female mice only they had been conditioned to grow into two cell embryos. 3.5% of the implanted embryos successfully produced offspring who in turn were able to reproduced post turning into matured adult mice.

“The researchers also showed that they could derive new ES cell lines from embryos generated from the labmade eggs. That recreates, they note, a full cycle of female germ cell development in the lab.”

Not Perfect Science

The egg-making technique, whilst impressive has been identified with some serious concerns. Only 3.5% of the implanted embryos were able to grow into healthy adult mice. Additionally, the research team also found out that approximately 18% of the stem-cell derived eggs had an unusual number of chromosomes. The presence of the imbalanced chromosomes possibly resulted in less embryos developing and could probably also cause genetic disorders in the offspring.

In order to complete the process, scientists added cells extracted from the mouse embryos in pregnant mice to the culture dish. The egg cells matured and developed with the support of these outside cells. More research is ongoing in evolving artificial reagents that will in future be able to substitute the requirement for cells.

Will Human Eggs Be Next?

This investigative study automatically raises reservations about the scientific attempt to produce artificial human eggs in a petri-dish. “If a similar strategy proves successful in human pluripotent stem cells, then the options for reproductive biology, but also genetic modification of the germ line, are profound,” Daley says.

In a Nature news release, Azim Surani who is well known in this area of research, said that these ethical issues should be discussed now and include the general public. “This is the right time to involve the wider public in these discussions, long before and in case the procedure becomes feasible in humans.”

In an interview with Phys.org , James Adjaye, another expert from Heinrich Heine University in Germany, raised the point that even if we did generate artificial human eggs, “the final and ultimate test for fully functional human ‘eggs in a dish’ would be the fertilization using IVF, which is also ethically not allowed.”

Looking forward, senior author on the Nature study, Katsuhiko Hayashi, predicted that in a decade, lab-grown “oocyte-like” human eggs will be available but probably not at a scale for fertility treatments. Because of the technical issues his study revealed, he commented, “It is too preliminary to use artificial oocytes in the clinic.”

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Temporomandibular joint or more commonly referred to as TMJ, is a condition that many suffer from on a global scale. A recent study found out that approximately 10 million people, women being a majority in the US are victims to this disorder.

So what is the temporomandibular joint?
The joint that links your jaw to the temporal bones of your skull, which are located right in front of your ear, is known as your temporomandibular joint. It acts like an axis that allows movements of your jaw that enables you to speak, chew and yawn.

If you are having trouble with your jaw and the controlling muscles in your face, it is called temporomandibular disorders or TMD. The cause of this disorder is not clearly known or defined. Probable symptoms of TMD, which dentists believe could actually be a result of issues in the jaw muscles or with the parts of the joint itself.

Acute ache and soreness are often triggered by TMD that may affect both sides of your face. This may subsequently lead to various other indications like concentrated discomfort in the jaw, face and head; inconvenience in gulping and talking and faintness. The condition may be temporary or possibly last for several years. It is a common occurrence between the ages of 20 to 40.

Made of fibrocartilage, TMJ in a healthy state helps the jaw to function smoothly by acting as a cushion. Nevertheless, the cartilage is not equipped with the capability to repair or renew. Hence, all the available treatment or surgery does, is disguise the indicators but not actually repair the essential impairment of the joint.

Published in Nature Communications under “Exploiting endogenous fibrocartilage stem cells to regenerate cartilage and repair joint injury,” a research team at Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine (USA) carried out a cell culture studies as well as clinical trials on animals, acknowledged that stem cells inside the TMJ possessed the potential to develop cartilage and bone. Further investigations by the research team presented that Wnt, a protein, with its signalling activity led to the diminution of these fibrocartilage stem cells (FSCSs) in animals. As a result of this, it instigated significant weakening of the cartilage on introducing an accepted inhibitor of Wnt into the animals’ impaired TMJ stimulated development and recuperation of the joint.

“This is very exciting for the field because patients who have problems with their jaws and TMJs are very limited in terms of clinical treatments available,” said Mildred C. Embree, DMD, PhD, assistant professor of dental medicine at Columbia and lead author of the study. Dr. Embree’s team, the TMJ Biology and Regenerative Medicine Lab, conducted the research with colleagues including Jeremy Mao, DDS, PhD, the Edwin S. Robinson Professor of Dentistry (in orthopedic surgery) at Columbia.[1]

The next step of the investigation is to explore options of suitable Wnt inhibitors that may be tried under clinical conditions. In a university press release, Jeremy Mao, a co-author on the paper, talked about the implications of these results. “They suggest that molecular signals that govern stem cells may have therapeutic applications for cartilage and bone regeneration. Cartilage and certain bone defects are notoriously difficult to heal.”[2]

In the long run, Dr. Embree and her team say the outcomes could spearhead eventual strategies for mending fibrocartilage in other joints, including the knees and vertebral discs. “Those types of cartilage have different cellular constituents, so we would have to really investigate the molecular underpinnings regarding how these cells are regulated,” the researcher said.[3]

Sources:

• http://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2016/10/tmj-stem-cells-used-to-repair-cartilage-in-the-joint.html
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26123357
• http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/temporomandibular-disorders-tmd#1
• https://blog.cirm.ca.gov/2016/10/14/stem-cell-stories-that-caught-our-eye-relief-for-jaw-pain-vitamins-for-ipscs-and-alzheimers-insights/

[1] Exploiting endogenous fibrocartilage stem cells to regenerate cartilage and repair joint injury – Mildred C. Embree, Mo Chen, Serhiy Pylawka, Danielle Kong, George M. Iwaoka, Ivo Kalajzic, Hai Yao, Chancheng Shi, Dongming Sun, Tzong-Jen Sheu, David A. Koslovsky, Alia Koch & Jeremy J. Mao

[2] Stem cells from jaw bone help repair damaged cartilage – Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, October 10, 2016

[3] TMJ stem cells used to repair cartilage in the joint – Posted by DentistryIQ Editors, October 12, 2016

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Cardiac failure continues to be a significant global health concern. According to the American Heart Association statistics, over one in three American adults have one or more types of cardiovascular disease resulting in an average of 1 death every 39 seconds. In addition to that, a large number of people worldwide are today surviving with the consequences of palliated congenital heart disease such as artificial valves and conduits and declining ventricular function.

Advancements in medical care and surgical procedures have in recent times significantly improved the lives of many who are suffering from coronary problems. However, these treatments rarely bear uniform results and are out of the reach of many patients in terms of affordability.

A research team headed by Professor Raimondo Ascione, Chair of Cardiac Surgery & Translational Research in the School of Clinical Sciences at the University of Bristol (UK) has established that human umbilical cord blood stem cells may be used in repairing heart muscle cells impaired owing to a coronary failure. Published in the Stem Cell Reviews & Reports and funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the investigative study discovered a set of rare stem cells called CD133+ extracted from the human umbilical cord blood that possessed the capability to regenerate into cardiac muscle cells by expanding to almost seven-fold, under clinical, in-vitro conditions.

Professor Ascione said, “We believe our study represents a significant advancement and overcomes the technical hurdle of deriving cardiac muscle-type cells from human cord blood.  The method we have found has the attributes of simplicity and consistency.  This will permit more robust manipulation of these cells towards better cell homing and cardiac repair in patients with myocardial infarction. Our research suggests that in the future stem cells derived from cord blood bank facilities might be used for repair after a heart attack.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said, “Regenerative medicine research in the lab, alongside studies of patients, is absolutely crucial.  Right now, the damage to the heart caused by a heart attack cannot be reversed.  Through research like this across the UK, we hope to bring our vision of mending broken hearts to reality. There has been interest for some time in the potential use of blood from the umbilical cord as a source of stem cells for therapy in a variety of diseases.  This study has shown for the first time that it’s possible to turn cord blood stem cells into cells that look like heart muscle, in the lab. The results are encouraging, but there are still lots of questions to answer before we’ll know whether these cells can be used successfully for heart repair in patients.”

The findings from this study have the potential to lay the foundation for forthcoming therapy in the wake of a stroke given that cells acquired from adults following a heart attack may be less operational due to ageing and risk factors.

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To start with, let us first understand what is ‘delayed cord clamping’.

According to the International Childbirth Education Association, “Delayed cord clamping is a birth practice where the umbilical cord is not clamped or cut until after pulsations have ceased, or until after the placenta is delivered.”

Now you may ask why this procedure is necessary and how does it impact your baby. At the time of birth, your baby’s body contains two-thirds of the blood whilst the placenta contains about one-third of the blood. Studies have revealed that a delay in the clamping of the umbilical cord can provide newborns approximately 30% more of the foetal-placental blood volume. Thus, delaying the cord clamping will give your baby a healthy blood volume.

Let Us Look At Some More Benefits That Delayed Cord Clamping Can Offer:

• The extra blood that delayed cord clamping provides to your baby can prevent anemia. Since breast milk does not provide sufficient amounts of iron which is important not only for preventing anemia but also for your baby’s brain development, the blood received from delayed clamping can deliver the extra iron content needed by your baby’s body.
• Delayed cord clamping allows your baby to incorporate an increased amount of stem cells into their body as the production of stem cells is highest at the time of birth. Stem cells are a core part of the body’s anatomy. They have the potential to repair and cure any type of internal injuries or illnesses.
• Some studies have shown that the extra time taken to detach the umbilical cord can give your baby a neurodevelopmental boost in later life.
• As mentioned before, delayed cord clamping increases the baby’s blood volume which in turn promotes a healthy neonatal cardiopulmonary transition.
• In the cases of babies who are born prematurely, delayed cord clamping can allow them to have stabilized blood pressure in the days succeeding the birth.

Although delayed cord clamping has several benefits, the ideal time for cord clamping is a topic of much debate. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists “Several systematic reviews have suggested that clamping the umbilical cord in all births should be delayed for at least 30–60 seconds, with the infant maintained at or below the level of the placenta because of the associated neonatal benefits, including increased blood volume, reduced need for blood transfusion, decreased incidence of intracranial hemorrhage in preterm infants, and lower frequency of iron deficiency anemia in term infants. Evidence exists to support delayed umbilical cord clamping in preterm infants, when feasible. The single most important clinical benefit for preterm infants is the possibility for a nearly 50% reduction in intraventricular hemorrhage. However, currently, the evidence is insufficient to confirm or refute the potential for benefits from delayed umbilical cord clamping in term infants, especially in settings with rich resources.”

Delayed cord clamping is a common practice amongst most doctors and has no effect on the process of cord blood collection since the cord blood is collected only after the cord has completely stopped pulsating. So if you are an expecting parent and have opted for cord blood banking, you can speak to Cordlife expert today!

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Expectations, anticipation and disenchanted reality of a prenatal visit. 

It was coming up to 8 weeks of pregnancy and we were both preparing for our first prenatal doctor’s appointment. I wanted to be there with my wife right from the very beginning of this journey and get to know everything first hand. I was more than happy to reshuffle my agenda for the day. Lifestyle changes had already begun; work schedules were also being tossed around.

During the past 8 weeks, my wife and I had already discussed the sort of medical guidance we wanted for us during this special journey in our lives. Someone who would be understanding and would have the patience to deal with the concerns of first-time parents like us. We asked around quite a fair bit. Whilst speaking to an old friend, he recommended a gynecologist who he’d consulted for his wife a couple of months ago. On digging a little more, I found out that the doc had a fine reputation and was very popular with young couples. I guess, we’d found the doctor we wanted!

We arrived at the birthing center well in time for the appointment. Giving our names to the Receptionist we waited for the doctor to arrive. There were so many couples and women at various stages of the pregnancy waiting along with us. I vividly remember the room. A light pink and blue combination wallpaper decorated with tons of baby photos. A standee on the side stood with a really graphical representation of all the pregnancy trimesters. My wife picked up few pamphlets and started leafing through them. This room really felt like a “happy place”. Lots of positive energy and glow filled the room.

As we waited, more and more couples arrived but there was still no sign of the doctor. I know this is India and doctors and trains rarely stick to their timetables. But I was nervous and couldn’t wait to get into that consultation room. I had tons of questions that I wanted to ask the doctor and I was eagerly waiting to hear my baby’s heartbeat for the first time. To me, that meant a great deal. It would actually seal the deal; reinforce the fact that I was going to be responsible for that little human being that I helped create.

We’d already been waiting for over an hour and I was determined to find out the reason for the delay. The clock turned another 15 minutes and I was just about gearing up to go to the Receptionist to find out what the problem was. The Receptionist came out into the Visitor’s room and announced that the doctor had an emergency normal delivery to deal with and wouldn’t be able to take the scheduled appointments for the day.

And I felt so let down. The thrill, the excitement that I was feeling throughout the day just evaporated. I know, the situation was such that I should understand. Labour pain and deliveries don’t always follow the timetable. I guess, I found some solace in the fact that I was nearly halfway there today. I’ve rescheduled and hope to go all the way into the consultation room with the doctor tomorrow. Finger’s crossed!

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Recently, close friends Jayesh and Simran delivered a second baby boy, Kiann. Like responsible parents, they believed in their child’s healthy future and went for private cord blood banking in spite of having preserved the umbilical cord for their firstborn a few years ago. In just 3 months’ time, their newborn was diagnosed with osteoporosis. This is possibly a condition where Kiann’s bone formation could be at risk and may lead to a fatality. The couple were optimistic because they were told that stem cell transplantation could actually save their newborn’s life.

In the rarest of cases, when Kiann’s stem cells were taken for testing, the parents found out that Kiann’s cord blood cells contained the same genetic deficiency that caused his disorder. Jayesh and Simran were distraught. But there was light at the end of the tunnel.  Precedence suggested that doctors could explore using donor cells from a close match. In order to treat a genetic disorder known as Fanconi’s anaemia, the first successful sibling-to-sibling cord-blood stem-cell transplant was performed in 1988.

There was hope yet for Kiann. Since Jayesh and Simran had opted to invest in storing their firstborn’s cord blood cells a few years ago, the doctors on testing that sample were able to get a reasonably compatible match. The doctors chose to go ahead with the stem cell transplantation and Kiann is now well on his way to recovery.

So the question that most parents spend a lot of time on is whether there is a need to store the cord blood and tissue for each individual child? In Jayesh and Simran’s case, the fact that they preserved the cord blood cells for both their children actually helped to save the life of their second born child.

According to the Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation, “Two full siblings have a 25% chance of being a perfect match, a 50% chance of being a half match, and a 25% chance of not matching at all.” However, Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, Program Director of the division of Paediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation at Duke University Medical Center and one of the earliest to perform an unrelated cord-blood transplant in the U.S says, “One of the wonderful things about cord blood banking is that unlike bone marrow, you don’t always need a perfect match in order for it to work.”

Apart from the medical point of view of why one must consider storing the cord blood and tissue for both children, there is an additional take from a parenting perspective. By opting to bank the cord blood and tissue of a single child, most parents forget that it may lead to a regrettable situation where they may realize that they had made an unequal key medical decision.

Storing the stem cells of each child individually will allow you and your children access to a greater number of stem cells through which their future disorders and diseases can be cured. Dr. Jordan Perlow, MD, a maternal-foetal specialist in Phoenix, post attending medical conferences and having examined and analyzed findings about advances in stem-cell treatments now urges his patients to privately cord blood bank if they can meet the expense of it because he’s confident that it might save their child’s life or the life of another family member.

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Ageing is a part and parcel of life, but as our body ages, our brains age too. Just like an ageing body can be riddled with diseases and illnesses like arthritis, cataracts, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, an ageing brain too can be afflicted with sickness. The age-associated diseases that affect the brain are often clustered under the umbrella term of ‘neurodegeneration’. Diseases like Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are some of the better-known disorders that fall under this terminology.

Let us first understand what the term ‘neurodegeneration’ actually encompasses.  The Oxford Dictionary defines neurodegeneration as the “Degeneration of the nervous system, especially of neurones in the brain”. According to the EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND), the nervous system of the human body comprises of neurones. In case they suffer damage, they do not possess the ability to repair, replace or reproduce themselves. This inability results in neurodegenerative diseases.

Previously, neurodegenerative diseases were believed to be incurable. However, with the gigantic steps towards advancement that medical science has taken in the recent years, scientists have been able to devise procedures that help in assisting individuals suffering from neurodegenerative disease. Stem cell therapy is among these advanced procedures that have recently shown positive results.

Stem cells are mother or master cells that have the ability to differentiate into other types of specialized cells through the process of mitosis. They can repair internal tissue damage by developing into a cell with a specialized function like a blood cell or brain cell.  They also possess the ability to renew themselves.

Utilizing stem cells to treat medical disorders and diseases is known as stem cell therapy. Transplantation of stem cells is the most common procedure used in stem cell therapy. In cases of brain degeneration, stem cells are transplanted into the patient. These stem cells then become progenitor cells that work within the brain to maintain the neurone functions. Research has been conducted on animal models for diseases like Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis, which have provided optimistic outcomes.

In a symposium organized by EuroStemCell, Magdalena Götz, Ph.D., Helmholtz Zentrum München, spoke about the radial glial cells which are present in the neural stem cells and described them as “they look like glia, they smell like glia but they are actually the neural stem cells.” She further explained the development of brain cells and the possibility of guiding neural stem cells to locate and repair the injury site inside the brain, while also regenerating neurones.

Stem cell research is the future of neurology. With several clinical studies being conducted year after year, the use of stem cell therapy in treating neurological disorders is constantly expanding. In India, the guidelines established by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for conducting clinical studies have been revolutionized leading to extensive research being done in the field of stem cell therapy.

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Blood sugar or blood glucose is a test that measures the amount of glucose, which is a type of sugar, in your blood. This glucose is considered to be the core source of energy for the body and can be found in foods that are rich in carbohydrates. The cells in your body depend on the energy produced by the glucose to function throughout the day. You have often heard that when sugar levels fall, people tend to feel tired and also suffer from bouts of dizziness. However, an increase in the blood sugar level can also have a negative impact on your nerves, kidneys, eyes and blood vessels.

The Blood Sugar Levels For An Adult Are As Follows:

An increase of blood sugar can cause diabetes. The cells within the body depend on insulin, which is a hormone created in the pancreas, to use the glucose. Diabetes can cause the insulin to stop performing its function thus leading to a rise in the blood glucose levels in the body. If these levels remain high over a period of time they can eventually cause damage to various organs of the body.

One of the major causes of diabetes is an unhealthy diet. Eating High Glycemic Index Foods Glycemic Index (GI) is described as the “calculation of how fast a type of food consumed by us is turned into energy, i.e. into glucose.” This ‘High GI foods’ are those that easily release glucose into the body. Some of the foods that fall in to this category are pastries, carbonated drinks, white bread, white potatoes, candies and ready-to-eat foods.

A negative consequence of this improper diet and increasing blood sugar levels is the weakening of the stem cells. The essential function of stem cells is to repair, renew and replace. They have the ability to locate injury sites within the body and repair the damaged tissues. They can also renew themselves through the process of mitosis and increase the stem cell count of the body. After differentiating via mitosis, a stem cell can also replace another body cell by imitating the functions of that cell. However, diabetes and an unhealthy diet can prevent stem cells from carrying out these tasks.

Providing proper nutrition to your body is important in order to ensure the health of your stem cells. Therefore, maintaining a balanced diet will not only prevent your blood glucose levels from fluctuating but will also allow the stem cells to perform properly.

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Miracles happen. How many times have we heard this? But have you actually ever seen a miracle happen. This is the story of one man’s fight against blindness which eventually gave hope to millions of people.

It was on a family road trip to New Hampshire when the 54-year-old Doug Oliver was first made aware of how advanced his macular degeneration had become when he failed to see two pedestrians in a crosswalk and almost ran them down. The incident resulted in Doug receiving a $500 fine from a police officer who had witnessed the near accident and was also made to give up his driver’s license.

Doug had been previously diagnosed almost 20 years ago, with macular degeneration. However, back then his doctors had predicted that his vision would last until the age of 60. But following the accident, when his eyesight was reviewed, it revealed that he was almost blind. The tests showed he had 20/2000 vision in the left eye and 20/400 in the right. This new found disability severely affected his career as an IT specialist and social policy consultant. He had no choice but to depend on his monthly disability check to make ends meet.

His doctor advised Doug that the only way to find a cure for his ailment was to participate in clinical trials. After vociferously searching for such trials, Doug was finally able to reach out to a surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Weiss who was conducting an experiment on treating macular degeneration through stem cell banking. After flying out to Florida, Doug met with the doctors who were participating in the study. They extracted a bone marrow sample from his hip bone and with the help of an FDA-approved centrifuge, isolated the stem cells which were then injected into his eyes. Within 48 hours his vision improved. The vision in the left eye was 20/40 and in the right eye was 20/30.

Following the success of the treatment, Doug said, “I could see the boats and the little wake lines that you see from 30,000 feet. I acted like a 6-year-old and loved it”.

In order to garner government funding for such procedures, Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander invited Doug to Washington in June 2016. Doug was asked to speak to Mr. Alexander’s colleagues regarding his success story, in the hope that it would convince them to support the passing of the 21st Century Cures Act which legislates the funding of high risk, high reward clinical trials. He believes that the passing of this Act can revolutionize the healthcare industry.

So as the story goes… miracles do happen, or at least in Doug Oliver’s case, a modern ‘medical miracle’ did happen.

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As the science of stem cells took off in the 1970s when doctors realized that the stem cells found in the blood inside an umbilical cord could offer a much more secure substitute to bone marrow transplants that may find its way in the utilization of treating conditions such as leukaemia, lymphoma, and sickle cell anemia. This is so since cord blood is power packed with multipotent, self-renewing hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which are the forerunners to blood cells.

The process of extracting this cord blood immediately after birth and storing it in state-of-art laboratories in India and overseas for future use is now a convenient and affordable reality for many Indians, thanks to health companies like Cordlife India. In fact, Cordlife is the only private Cord Blood Bank in India to offer automated cord blood processing with Sepax2, a versatile patented Swiss technology. This advanced technology enables easy handling and safety of processing and aids in highly efficient and consistent cell recoveries.

Once the umbilical cord has been clamped from the newborn, the cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord vein attached to the placenta. Cord Blood extraction is not only a painless process for both mother and baby unlike bone marrow extraction, but there is a 60% higher chance of matching cord blood unit in the family vis-a-vis bone marrow. Cord Blood cells are mature, flexible and have more usage advantages than stem cells extracted from the bone marrow or umbilical blood.

After cord blood is extracted, Stem Cell Banks preserve the stem cells via Cryopreservation. Under various such methods of Cryopreservation, any damage to the stem cells caused by any enzymatic or chemical activities is prevented by cooling to very low temperatures, without further damage being triggered by the formation of ice during freezing.

Stored Cord Blood can now be available between days or weeks of processing for treatment. There is a low risk of complications when cord blood is applied for stem cell transplants and therapy since they have the ability to regenerate in the desired way.

Globally, an estimated 35,000 transplants have taken place where cord blood stem have been utilized to treat over eighty life-threatening ailments, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, bone marrow failures, genetic disorders, blood disorders and immune disorders. Several medical professionals are also researching cord blood as a potential cure for conditions that cannot be remedied presently. Umbilical Cord Blood banking is no more an option, but a necessity to secure a healthy future for the entire family.

For more details about – Why Banking Umbilical Cord Blood should be on your “To Do” List? – visit https://www.cordlifeindia.com

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The beginning of my Dad journey…

It was just past noon and whilst my lovely wife was in the bathroom, I was furiously pacing outside the door. The bathroom door opened and there she was with the biggest smile on her face and tears rolling down her rose-blushed cheeks. She was ecstatic. She waved the test and I saw that it was positive. My first thought was of pure joy and relief. I remember telling her, “can you really believe it?”, “Are you happy?”, “Does it really say that you are pregnant?” We stood in the doorway for god knows how long, hugging and crying before finally calming down.

The “moment you find out” is quite unique and it was finally sinking in. It reminds me of that singular moment in life when you hold your breath and then heave those pleasurable gasps after a chest-achingly long time. A combination of being euphoric on finding out as well as the sweet relief of the long-endured fight of trying to, engulfed us all around.

We’d been trying to get pregnant for quite some time and our gynaecologist had told us that it wasn’t going to be an easy path for us. This challenging personal experience for us was a mirror of what was happening with many of our friends and some relatives too. The entire experience of winning the battle against childlessness seemed just imbalanced. The wrongness is amplified by the sense that the act of getting pregnant should be uncomplicated and the most enjoyable thing in the world to do.

I’ve seen the tightly-managed disappointment and setback turn out to be merely the opening act for a massive emotional ocean of antagonism, hopelessness, grief, resentment, embarrassment and remorse at being envious or not interested in others’ swift stork deliveries.

But all that is in the past.

Now that it has actually happened to us, it is such an unreal feeling; something that I’ve never lived through before and doubt I ever will again. Marriage is colossal, buying a house is massive, but making a human… is mammoth. I could not wait to scream it out of the rooftop.

I started visualising what a fantastic dad I was going to be; not that I’ve had any practice before. I would need to change a million things about myself, my lifestyle, to be able to be that great dad; but I am prepared to make all those changes. No more reckless drinking and takeout every night, no more sleeping until 8:30am on workdays.

Right now, I am just excited beyond my wildest dreams and maybe a little frightened too. But today, I only want to share this joy and pride with my beautiful wife. I have no doubt that she is feeling the same thrill. After all, we did this together!

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Cord blood stem cells were first used in a transplant in 1988 and have since been used to treat more than 80 diseases. You can know more about the diseases it can be used to treat in the list provided by ‘Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood’[1]. To-be parents often make a host of preparations in order to keep their child safe such as emptying electric sockets, child-proofing cabinets and much more. Umbilical cord cell storage is also a safety net or insurance that can help to protect your child’s life in future.

Benefits of Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Banking

Umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells. Stem cells have the potential to reproduce themselves and also to turn into any other type of cells. The stem cells in umbilical cord blood are Haematopoietic stem cells that can build and replenish the body’s blood and immune system. These cells can differentiate into blood vessels, immune-system cells, bone cartilage, muscle cells, blood cells and nerve cells.

Cord Blood Stem Cells vs. Bone Marrow Stem Cells

Umbilical cord stem cell storage is a simple non-invasive process and is completely harmless to the mother or the baby. On the other hand, extracting stem cells from the bone marrow is an invasive procedure and also requires general anaesthesia which comes with its own set of inherent risks. Matching stem cells are necessary for a transplant procedure so as to increase the chances of the body accepting the transplant. Umbilical cord blood cells will be a lifetime match for your child and a 25% to 50% partial match to a sibling. These cord blood cells can also be used to treat other family members as genetically matching stems cells result in higher chances of successful transplants with fewer complications.

Umbilical cord blood cells have a high rate of engraftment or in other words have a high rate of replication of transplanted cells in the host. These cells also have a low rate of graft versus host diseases i.e. the transplanted cells attacking the host body. These cells are also free of latent viruses which is why they are also termed as “privileged” when compared to bone marrow cells.

The Advantages of Umbilical Cord Cell Storage

Cord blood cells are readily used to replenish the immune system after chemotherapy or radiation. Chemotherapy or radiation not only destroys the bad cells but also destroys the good cells. Stem cell therapy helps to replicate the good cells or the disease-free cells in such patients. Apart from being used in treatment of cancers such leukaemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma, cord blood cells are also being researched for the treatment of degenerative diseases.

If you are parents-to-be and have not decided upon umbilical cord cell storage, then it’s time you give it a thought to insure your baby’s future health.

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Sickle cell disease is often thought of as a disease affecting people with dark skin, and a majority of patients – researchers estimate 60 to 80 percent – are African-American, but other races are also affected. People of Indian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic and Mediterranean heritage are also commonly affected, says an article published in the New York Times[1]. Sickle cell anaemia patients need comprehensive care throughout their lives. Ground breaking treatment through stem cells for genetic disorders could help treat Sickle Cell Anaemia.

What is Sickle Cell Anaemia?

It is a genetic disorder where the red blood cells carry a certain type of haemoglobin named “haemoglobin S” resulting in the cells to form shapes similar to a sickle. These cells have lesser oxygen carrying capacity as well as get stuck and break up while passing through small blood vessels. A person gets the disease only when he/she gets the sickle hemoglobin gene from both the parents. If one gets the gene from only one parent and a normal gene from the other, then you have ‘Sickle cell trait’.

Symptoms

Symptoms only start to appear at around 4 months of age. Painful episodes known as Crises are common in sickle cell anaemia patients. Crises are characterised by severe pain in lower back, legs, joints and chest which may go on from hours to days. Young children with sickle cell anaemia have paleness, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath and yellowing of eyes and skin due to jaundice. When small blood vessels get blocked by the abnormal cells, it may result in painful or prolonged erection, poor eyesight or blindness, problems with thinking and ulcers on lower legs. With age, the spleen stops working and it may result in a host of other infections such as bone infection.

Treatment

People with sickle cell anaemia might have to undergo regular treatments irrespective of the problem causing symptoms in order to minimize their future occurrences. Blood transfusions may be done at regular intervals in order to minimize the risk of a stroke due to small blood vessels getting clogged. Patients also take pain killers and antibiotics to combat the effects of the disease. Research has shown that treatment through stem cells for genetic disorders could cure sickle cell anaemia.  In a Case Study by the National Institute of Health,US (2004-2013)[2], thirty sickle cell anaemia patients aged 16 to 65 yrs first went through a toxic regime to kill their marrow and then stem cell transplant. Researchers found that 87% of the patients responded positively. One of the major concerns voiced against treatment through stem cell for genetic disorders like sickle cell anaemia is that patients often cannot find donor cells. Cord blood therapy helps to resolve this issue. Cord blood cells from an immediate family member can help treat the disease reducing the risk of rejection by the body.

[1]http://www.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-sickle-cell-know.html

[2]http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/july2014/07142014sickle.htm

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We examine the possibility of babies deriving beneficial stem cells from their mothers during the breast feeding process.

As the country wakes up to the benefits of stem cell therapy and its applications in treating serious illnesses, a new research in Australia introduced a new frontier in stem cell therapy last year. As per a study presented at the National Breastfeeding and Lactation Symposium in London in late October 2014, female mice were found to pass on stem cells to their babies via the breast feeding route.

Researchers concluded that if this phenomenon took place in mice, it could also take place in humans[1]. Doctors in the field of stem cell research have long been studying the applications of stem cells in human breast milk, and whether they can develop into tissues to form the brain, kidneys and liver, the study report added. It must be noted that human breast milk contains stem cells, though these are not very large in number.

The study also quoted doctors as explaining that stem cells passed on into the bloodstream of baby mice from their mothers’ milk. This has huge implications for stem cell therapy in humans. Said researcher Foteini Hassiotou of the University of Western Australia about this dimension in stem cell therapy[2], “In experiments with mice imbibing stem cells from breast milk, it was found that the stem cells not just amalgamated into the blood stream, but also became functional cells in specific organs of the body.” This means that the cells acquired the characteristics of the tissue they graduated to – neurons in the brain and insulin-making cells in the pancreas, for example.

Doctors insist that this is a wonderful new chapter in stem cell therapy and banking. “A lot of doctors in India have been following up on the findings of this study,” says Dr Ratnakar Kotian, a gynaecologist who is conducting private research in stem cell treatments in Pune. “It is one more reason for doctors to insist on mothers breast feeding their children. If the implication that breast milk can actually provide stem cells that can acquire a functional role in the body is indeed true, it opens up new vistas in stem cell research and therapy.”

He adds that this facet of stem cells in breast milk also has implications in medical treatment: it is a non-invasive source of useful stem cells that are patient-specific. Quotes Alecia Jane Twigger in her research paper on stem cells in breast milk[3], “Apart from the nutritional benefits, breast feeding may extend benefits of immunological protection to the baby. There is a vast implication of breast milk stem cells helping in the development of the infant’s brain and major organs. They can be used in CRTs for people with compromised central nervous systems as well.”

[1] ‘Stem cells in breast milk capable of forming tissues in infants: study’, www.firstpost.com, November 4, 2014

[2] ‘Breast milk stem cells may be incorporated into baby’, The New Scientist, November 3, 2014

[3] Jane Twigger, Alecia, ‘From breast milk to brains: The potential of stem cells in human milk’, April 16, 2013, School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Western Australia, Perth

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The biggest gift you can bestow on your child is the chance of a long and healthy life – by preserving your baby’s stem cells.

The birth of your baby was a landmark event in your life. But rewind to the time that your child emerged from the womb. That was the moment when you gave your child the biggest treasure of all – the gift of his cord blood, perfectly preserved for his future.

“I did a lot of research on stem cell banking and spoke to my doctor about it,” says Maithili Rajguru (34), a mother of two. “We tried cord blood banking for my second child; I was unaware of the procedure during my first pregnancy five years prior. It was important to take this basic step to safeguard her future,” she says.

Stem cell preservation is catching on all over the country, even in the smaller towns, where over 20 people register for it with private cord blood banks every month[1]. The fact that it poses no danger to the mother and child is a big draw among patients, says Dr Jinal Thakkar, obstetrician. “Of all the questions I am asked about it, the leading one is: Will it hurt my baby? It is important to explain to parents about the entire process of cord blood collection and preservation,” she adds.

The process is a simple one: moments after the birth, the umbilical cord is cut and clamped. The cord blood is then collected in a special bag. Once the bag reaches the stem cell bank, the cells are isolated and the red blood corpuscles and plasma are removed from the blood unit. The cells are frozen and preserved for a period of 21 years. In the meantime, the baby’s cells are given to the parents whenever needed, but only with a doctor’s prescription and reference.

Rehan Mistry enrolled on stem cell banking two years ago. “Cancer runs in my wife’s family. Our doctor told us that stem cells cannot treat every cancer, but by the time my son grows up, science will have found an answer to every problem,” he explains.

Stem Cells for Research

Stem cell preservation techniques are being refined for research and clinical trials. The process presents unique challenges – the protocols for preserving Haematopoietic Stem Cells (HSC) do not hold true for preserving Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC)[2], for example. The biology of different stem cells is different, thus the preservation methods must be able to conserve that unique biology over a long period.

Several researchers are currently conducting trials on the utility of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) in understanding the origins of disease and also for formulating stem cell-based treatments. Meanwhile, bone marrow has been found to be a rich repository of MSC that is currently being studied for cardiac tissue and muscle repair, among other things.

[1] Kislaya, Kelly, ‘More stem cells preserved now’, The Times of India, October 27, 2013

[2] Hanna, Jacob and Hubel, Allison, ‘Preservation of stem cells’, Organogenesis Journal, July-September 2009

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We all hear about numerous breakthrough researches on stem cell transplant procedures. When expectant parents are advised to go in for cord blood banking in Hyderabad, or Bangluru for that matter, they are often confused by the medical jargon used to explain the wide scope of the procedure. Here is a look at some of the general stem cell types and the generic treatments that they can be used for.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells

These fall under the adult category, and are usually extracted from the bone marrow. However, in recent times, they have also been isolated from other tissues, such as peripheral blood, fetal liver, lung tissue, as well as fallopian tube and cord blood linings, which has greatly popularized cord blood banking in Hyderabad and other cities in India. These are multi-potent and widely known in bio-medical research for their ability to interphase to make up bone, cartilage, tendons, muscle, adipocytes and skin. This basically means that they can reproduce non-blood adult cells.

Hematopoietic Stem Cells

They are popularly known to be found in the bone marrow, largely in the femur, pelvis and sternum. Today, it has been established that the umbilical cord blood is also a rich source of these cells, because of which doctors all over India encourage cord blood banking in Hyderabad and other cities. Small quantities are also found in peripheral blood. These cells are known for their potential to regenerate blood and immune cells, amounting to the production of over a billion cells on a daily basis. Research that focuses on extending the scope of their use has been ongoing for more than 45-50 years and hemotopoietic stem cells have been successfully used in treating conditions like leukemia, immune system deficiencies, as well as other blood cancers and disorders. The first record of blood-forming stem cells dates back to 1945.

Neural Stem Cells

Establishing the fact that neural stem cells can be a source for glia and neurons has been a landmark discovery of bio-medicine. Prior to this, it was accepted that the nervous system was devoid of rejuvenation. This class of stem cells facilitates both regeneration and repair of neurons.  The human brain has its own stock of these cells, however, researchers are working frantically to successfully extract large units from other source like embryonic cells and cord blood. While an ethical debate surrounding the former, the latter is possibly the best source. The promise for the future is why doctors and other medical experts encourage cord blood banking in Hyderabad and other Indian cities. Neural stems have the answer to epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autism, Parkinson’s disease, Batten’s disease and other injuries to the brain.

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The Doors Opened by Cord Blood

Cell therapy gives hope to many people around the globe fighting different health conditions and terminal illnesses. Stem cell therapy endeavours to restore and regenerate cells that have been damaged or destroyed by diseases. Although these techniques are still relatively new, their applications and scopes put them at the pinnacle of bio-medical research. Today, researchers are battling conditions like diabetes, cerebral palsy and autism. All this has been possible only through the huge stock of cells made available via stem cell banking.

Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes

The world’s first clinical study to prevent or delay the onset of type 1 diabetes was conducted in Australia, using umbilical cord stem cells. Since then, numerous studies have been conducted all over the world. The hope is that by injecting these unique immune cells into the patient, the disease could be corrected and even prevented entirely.

Hope for Autism

Autistic children are found to have diminished oxygen supply to specific areas of the brain and suffer from immunologically centred inflammatory conditions. A breakthrough in bio-medicine occurred when mesenchymal cells were found to regulate the immune system. This line of research is said to be a ray of hope for many children suffering from autism, who are all now relying on donor matches from public cord blood stem cell banking.

Cerebral Palsy Treatment

This is a condition that relates to permanent physical disability, caused by damage to a developing brain. In their urge to find a viable solution, scientists tested the scope of cord blood in counteracting this condition. Although treatments like controlled hypothermia have shown some success, stem cell research in this field, shows a more promising path. Within a matter of six months, children in the clinical trials have shown a leap of improvement, and this just highlights the need for stem cell banking.

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