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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Stanford University School of Medicine researchers invented a new algorithm, Baxter Algorithm, to track adult stem cell development more accurately. The main idea was to overcome the difficulties in treating muscle related problems that eventually lead to aging.

According to the research, growing stem cells in the muscle, especially on the developed synthetic matrix, try to copy the elasticity of real muscle, thereby allowing them to retain their auto-renewing agents. Adult stem cells are already present in our body. They play a significant role in forming body tissues in muscles, blood and neurons. So far scientists struggled to create the stem cells in adequate quantity, needed for cell differentiation. Moreover, the stem cells lose some of their qualities immediately after they are kept in a culture dish. One of the qualities is self-renewal. It’s the ability to turn into another stem cell and at the same time the differentiating daughter cell.

This new technique would not only overcome the issue, but it would also help in revolutionizing the application of stem cells in different procedures.  Helen Blau, a researcher at the Stanford’s Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine explained, “Cells don’t normally exist in contact with a rigid cell culture dish. They sit on soft tissue. By mimicking this environment we can really influence their function and allow them to self-renew in ways we’ve never been able to achieve before.”

The researchers have developed a new culture system in order to create a more comfortable and softer environment for the stem cells to grow. They used a material, called hydrogel, made of a platform of polyethylene glycol polymers with water. Once they decreased the quantity of polymer molecules, it was turned into a more flexible and more elastic surface.

The researchers let the stem cells grow in the hydrogel for a week. After a week, they found that the softer cells had more cells compared to the less-elastic gels. The scientists had then used the new algorithm to track the cell development automatically. They have found that the cells are not dividing faster. Rather more cells remain alive in the culture dish.

Blau said, “This in itself is a huge advance. Until now it’s been pretty impossible to do these studies without spending half a year or more manually scoring pictures or movies of cells in culture. Now we can figure out exactly how the cells divide and move, who begets who. As a result, we can begin to study all types of variables,” she added, “Clearly the cells grown on the more-elastic surfaces have better survival and self-renewing properties than those grown on standard tissue culture dishes. We conducted our experiments with muscle stem cells, but I expect this will be true for other types of adult stem cells as well.”

Apart from the new algorithm, the researchers continue their work to find out how this advancement would help in stem cells therapies to treat muscle-related problems like muscular dystrophy. Blau said, “Researchers really had no way to grow these cells in the laboratory before. These findings may allow us one day to replenish the muscles of patients with muscular dystrophy and other muscle-wasting diseases with healthy stem cells.”

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Umbilical cord blood plays a potent role in treating life-threatening ailments like sickle cell anaemia, lymphoma, leukaemia and the like. Today, over 25,000 patients round the globe have had cord blood transplants since their parents had a long-term vision that made them donate the child’s umbilical cord blood to a prominent cord blood bank.

In fact, most ace doctors and health experts suggest that cord blood must be preserved until there’s need of it. Medical science presently believes that cord blood can be preserved for an indefinite time, so that it can be of use for several generations. Stem cell transplants having 40 years as the average age, the longer the cord tissue and cord blood is stored, the maximum will be its use. And this where the accreditation process ties in!

Who Manages the Cord Blood Banking Facilities?

Simply put, the cord blood banks get regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is essential for all cord blood banks to register their name with the FDA and welcome the recurrent inspections and adhere to the regulations listed by this body. Furthermore, there are several other cord blood banks, comprising of the Core 23 BioBank, that willingly place themselves for other additional regulation under reputed accrediting bodies such as FACT and AABB.

Recently, AABB accreditation is considered to be the standard or key to cord blood transplant globally, where about 70% of the AABB accredited cord blood banks are located outside of U.S. As an authorized and authentic accrediting organization for cellular therapies and transfusion medicine round the word, the AABB gives a patient ear to the stories from various members of blood banks, hospitals and other bodies. Listening, it is said is a vital aspect of AABB’s accreditation process and programme.

As a group of AABB assessor approach an organization, basic checklists aren’t what they depend on! On the other hand, their key responsibility is to enquire, observe, gather data, build connections and provide a direct feedback on the organization’s accomplishments in catering to AABB’s technical and quality management par. Other than the formal reviewing process, there’s a peer-to-peer knowledge sharing process that takes place along with other discussions related to the best practices. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that the accreditation programme of AABB is accredited by International Society for Quality in Healthcare, a notable global organization that oversees and accredits accrediting bodies.

In fact, back in 2016 it a Dubai based AABB accredited cord blood bank successfully delivered a life-saving treatment of a 7-year-old boy, by providing stem cells that has been obtained from the umbilical cord blood that was saved 3 years before the birth of his sibling. This 7-year-old boy, who’s the elder brother, was diagnosed with major beta thalassemia, which is a blood disorder that might require daily blood transfusions and in a lifetime, can branch out into other various serious health hazards and ailments.

There are several reasons why AABB accreditation is considered the best practice for cord blood transplant. This accreditation programme makes use of a risk-solving approach that needs a meticulous evaluation by an AABB assessor to be on-site, examining the facility’s policies, processes and procedure to discover any possible marks of non-conformity. At the time of this accreditation process, the institutions gain from customized help rendered by a technical specialist at the AABB’s accreditation department. It is this specialist who in turn guides and assists the institutions and its team members on the accreditation process, giving answers to required queries and authenticating procedure followed and documents maintained. The verification process is strict, so that cord blood transplant taking place from the cord blood bank poses no health hazards and other discomforts.

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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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Stem cells have been the reason for so many successful clinical trials for decades. It has not only been proven effective for more than 80 diseases and disorders, but it has also been responsible for various miraculous stories. Lucy Hinchion has such an inspiring story. She is the youngest child in medical history, who has received her own umbilical cord blood to stop or delay the occurrence of Type 1 diabetes. And she was just 20 months old, when the procedure was conducted on her.

How Does Type 1 Diabetes Occur in Children?

The occurrence of Type 1 diabetes begins with autoantibodies. These are proteins that are made by the immune system of our body. If the protein is present in anyone blood, it suggests that the beta cells in the pancreas that help produce insulin, are affected. The entire process might lead to an autoimmune attack. Some of these autoantibodies can be traced during the blood months while some are found years before the diabetes occurs.

Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells but at the same time it’s the most difficult to collect. It can only be collected after child birth from the umbilical cord of the new born. For this reason, parents need to contact a private cord blood bank to store the umbilical cord blood immediately after birth. Even a one day’s delay cannot be considered.

The procedure is entire safe both for the mother and the child. Once the cord blood is collected, it needs to go through a clinical process to isolate the stem cells from the immune cells. These stem cells are unique in nature. They have the potential to repair and replace damaged tissues and organs. And once stored, these stem cells can be utilized in any transplant of any family member.

Lucy’s mother, Sonya Hinchion also hoped that once they store Lucy’s umbilical cord blood, they would be able to safe Lucy’s elder sister, Ava’s life, who was suffering from Type 1 diabetes since four years of age. However, little did she know that Lucy would require those stem cells more than anyone else. After testing, Sonya found out that Lucy was positive for two antibodies and that posed her at high risk of developing the condition more than anyone. Sonya recalled, “After testing positive for two antibodies herself, Lucy became at high risk of developing the condition.”

Regarding the transplant, Sonya confirmed that it was a pretty simple and straightforward procedure. She said, “You’re putting all your eggs in one basket but without doing this trial and without putting yourself out there, we’re never going to learn. The other risk is, she develops diabetes and you’ll kick yourself for not trying.” Professor Maria Craig, the head of the CORD study, follows Lucy every 3 to 6 months and would keep up the follow up session for the next 3 years.

Over 100 Australian children, who have a history of Type 1 diabetes in their family, are being screened by the Cord Reinfusion in Diabetes (CORD) study currently. According to a report, “More than 100 Australian children with a family history of Type 1 diabetes are currently being screened in the Cord Reinfusion in Diabetes (CORD) study, conducted through the hospital’s Kids Research Institute and funded by cord blood bank Cell Care Australia.”

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Many athletes take painkillers regularly after intense workout sessions. The reason being, any muscle injury, inflammation, soreness, stiffness and aches can be handled with these medicines. But a new study suggests that these anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs often harm the muscles rather than doing any good. A Stanford Medicine study supports this view and proposes a new study, based on the inflammatory component to treat muscle degeneration with muscle stem cells.

The stem cells in muscles are scattered across the skeletal muscle tissue. They remain inactive until they are divided by stimulation. When our muscles go through an injury or damage, an inflammatory component activates these muscle stem cells, so they start regenerating the tissue.

The team at Stanford suggests that a molecule, Prostaglandin E2 or PGE2, gets released when the muscle sends the inflammatory signal. This component stimulates the repairing process by aiming at the EP4 receptor, located on the surface of muscle stem cells. The muscle stem cells division is caused by the interaction between PGE2 and EP4, which leads to muscle tissue regeneration.

Dr. Helen Blau, the senior author of the study, said, “Traditionally, inflammation has been considered a natural, but sometimes harmful, response to injury. But we wondered whether there might be a component in the pro-inflammatory signaling cascade that also stimulated muscle repair. We found that a single exposure to prostaglandin E2 has a profound effect on the proliferation of muscle stem cells in living animals. We postulated that we could enhance muscle regeneration by simply augmenting this natural physiological process in existing stem cells already located along the muscle fiber.”

They have conducted a study on a mice model and it reveals that the PGE2 is increased by injuries and that in turn increases the expression of the EP4 receptor. This incident leads the team to the idea of treating the mice with PGE2 pulse, so they can stimulate the muscle stem cells to repair the damage.

Dr. Adelaida Palla, the co-first author explained, “When we gave mice a single shot of PGE2 directly to the muscle, it robustly affected muscle regeneration and even increased strength. Conversely, if we inhibited the ability of the muscle stem cells to respond to naturally produced PGE2 by blocking the expression of EP4 or by giving them a single dose of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug to suppress PGE2 production, the acquisition of strength was impeded.”

The research clearly shows that painkillers can make the situation worse. Additionally, it also suggests that the molecule; PGE2 can be the natural element to enhance muscle regeneration. Dr. Blau is hopeful that future studies will show more encouraging results with PGE2.  “Our goal has always been to find regulators of human muscle stem cells that can be useful in regenerative medicine. It might be possible to repurpose this already FDA-approved drug for use in muscle. This could be a novel way to target existing stem cells in their native environment to help people with muscle injury or trauma, or even to combat natural aging,” added Dr. Blau.

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Cord blood transplant is not a new technique in the history of personalized medicine. Since 1988, it has been around and has been treating many critical diseases and disorders. Many scientists and doctors are of the opinion that cord blood makes a better alternative to bone marrow for patients, who require a stem cell transplant. Even though bone marrow is still a more popular choice for transplants, some medical incidents suggest that the scenario is gradually changing. You might also be wondering which one would be better option for you and why.  Let’s find out one by one.

What are Bone Marrow and Cord Blood Transplant and How are They Different

Both cord blood and bone marrow transplants are conducted in order to replace the affected and unhealthy cells with new and healthy cells. Umbilical cord blood is the source of cord blood stem cells while bone marrow is the source of bone marrow stem cells. Cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord after a baby is born. After collecting, the blood is processed to get stem cells and then it can be preserved for years. These stem cells can be used to treat many diseases within the close family of the child.

Bone marrow stem cells, on the other hand, are collected from a matching donor. The marrow is a spongy element inside our bones. The marrow is generally extracted from skull, ribs, hips, breastbone or spine. Stem cells are extracted from the marrow after filtration. It can then be injected into the affected area of the patient immediately or can also be preserved for later use.

Now let’s see which one is ideal, considering different situations.

In Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD), cord blood stem cells are preferred, where an organ transplant is involved. As cord blood is older than bone marrow, there is a relatively lower chance of getting an immune system attack by the new cells.

In case of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) matching, cord blood is considered a better option than bone marrow. HLA is the immune system marker that is used to identify foreign cells. Since cord blood stem cells are classified as the purer cells, there is no requirement for HLA matching altogether. One major problem with bone marrow transplant is, patients need to wait for the right donor. On the other hand, with cord blood this is not the case.

When it comes to rich source of stem cells, doctors prefer cord blood stem cells. The reason being, a greater number of stem cells are found in umbilical cord compared to bone marrow. Also, cord blood stem cells have more regenerative potential than bone marrow stem cells, as the former are younger in nature.

Cord blood transplants are considered a better option for patients, who are below 30 years and weigh less than 60kg. Cord blood transplants are ideal for patients with kidney, heart, liver or lung problems, where bone marrow transplant is not at all recommended.

However, no matter what you feel about both the procedures, make sure you consult your doctor before ending up with an option, because your doctor knows better than anyone else. If you have any query regarding cord blood and bone marrow transplant, you can write to us as well.

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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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We all know that autism cannot be cured. But Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development researchers have found a way to alleviate the symptoms of autism, thereby offering a better life for children with the condition. And the key to this therapy lies within their own umbilical cord blood stem cells.

The researchers at the Duke conducted a study to find out if the symptoms of autism can be lowered down in degree by infusing blood, derived from their own umbilical cord. They have published their findings in April 2017 and since then it has all the media attention.

The trial involved 25 children between 2 and 6. Geraldine Dawson, director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development confirmed that all the children have displayed improvement in terms of the autistic symptoms. Dawson mentioned, “We measured the children’s social and communication abilities using various tests and parent questionnaires. We found that the infusion was safe and many children showed improvements in their social and language skills.”¹

In this study, the children received stem cells from their own umbilical cord blood. After the infusion, their improvements were being monitored thoroughly. The doctors found that the infusion was completely safe for the children. After one year, these children were called for another round of tests in order to measure their further improvements.

Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, the professor in the department of pediatrics, said that the process is entirely new to them. Dawson said that the study is still at its nascent stage, as they don’t have any standard comparison factor to compare the effectiveness of the therapy for autism, as there was no control group of autistic children involved in the study to compare the results. Dawson added, “Because there was no comparison group in this study, we don’t yet know whether the improvements we observed were because of the cord blood. As much as we’re hopeful that this is helping, we don’t want to prematurely make claims that haven’t been confirmed.”²

After the successful Phase I, the team is ready to start with Phase II trial, which is expected to be completed in two years. Unlike the Phase I, the second Phase will include a blind control group, where children will get a placebo infusion. Moreover, the Phase II will involve 165 children with autism.

Dawson said that the children will be divided into two groups. One group will receive umbilical cord blood stem cells and another group will receive a placebo. The groups will be switched after six months and the children will receive the opposite therapy. This will enable to researchers to find out the effectiveness of stem cell therapy for autism. Kurtzberg added, “There is a remodeling of certain abnormal brain connections [by the microglia], which then results in decreasing symptoms of autism.”³

Though the first trial showed immense improvements in the children, the team is still hesitant to call it a full-proof therapy for treating autism symptoms.  They will be able to answer all the unanswered questions after the comparative Phase II. Kurtzberg added, “At the conclusion of [the Phase II] study, we’ll be able to answer the question about whether cells are effective.”⁴ 

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Duchenne muscular dystrophy or DMD is a serious genetic disorder that affects hundreds of children every year. This disorder leads to conditions like atrophy and muscle weakness. There is no cure for the disease, however, supportive care can be offered to take care of their lungs and heart but these arrangements can only extend their lives till 27.

Now what causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy so dangerous for children? Kids, suffering from DMD cannot produce dystrophin, a protein that helps to keep away the muscles from breaking. The main reason is, these people have gone through a mutation in their gene in the X chromosome, which is responsible for providing the blueprint for dystrophin. The genetic mutation may lead to a more critical situation where most parts of the dystrophin get affected and a result the body stops producing the protein completely.

For some people with DMD, there are so many errors in the gene that the body cancels out the affected protein the moment it’s created. However, what’s more interesting to see is, the researchers have concentrated on the genes that are completely flawed and that interrupt in reading blueprint to produce dystrophin.

In order to address the criticalness of this condition, researches have conducted a study on a mice model. Multiple groups of researchers have harnessed the technique of applying gene editing enzyme complex CRISPR in order to modify the genes of mice with DMD. The technique allows cutting the errors in the genetic code, so that their effects can simply be avoided. After that the body starts to read the gene and then produce a shorter version of the protein that manages to protect the muscles from breaking down so easily, much like the process to treat patients with Becker muscular dystrophy.

The process involves loading the CRISPR complex into a virus and then injecting it to the mice fetus with DMD. The researchers have found that the mice began to create the shortened protein once the virus is injected into them. This helped the mice to resume the power of their muscles, which gradually led to a concrete treatment of their disease. So, the research was quite successful on the mice model.

The findings have generated a thin window of hope for the people, suffering with Duchenne muscular dystrophy mutation as well. But the process was easier for mice, and the researchers know that it’s not going to be the same easy game for humans. Moreover, no matter how foolproof the technique is proved for the mice, it may not deliver the same results on humans.

The scientists have established that the CRISPR can cut away additions to the gene but it will still take some time to show if it can address other kinds of mutations at all. Researchers are also not sure about the reactions of CRISPR complex in humans. Chances are that they might get rejected by the human immune system altogether. If it does not prove to be a 100% fix to the disorder, it means that the technique will not be able to treat all patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy mutation.

However, having said all these, it’s also true that this research is the first ever experiment to have shown success, even if on a mice model. And researchers are hopeful that with more clinical trials, they might achieve the desired results soon.

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Do you know how many times our heart beats in an average lifetime? It beats over 2.5 billion times. Do you know which part of the organ is responsible for the heartbeats in unison? It’s the sinoatrial node or SAN, which acts like the captain of the ship and dictates other parts of the heart to follow the rhythm. SAN is the natural pacemaker of the heart, which is built of a set of specialized heart muscle cells. It sends signals to the other parts of the organ to beat in a certain rate through an electrical signal.

A number of factors such as aging or inherited mutations often lead to disturb the natural pacemaker function of the SAN, which results in slower heart rate and poor blood circulation. The optimum treatment to address these problems is installing an artificial electronic pacemaker into the heart. However, artificial pacemakers have a few disadvantages as well. They are mentioned below:

• They are unable to react to hormone signals in the heart.
• The implantation may also carry a risk of infection.
• There is no way to adjust the pacemaker in order to match a child’s natural growing heart.
• The artificial pacemaker’s battery life is 7 years. So after its due course, another surgery is needed to replace it with a new one.

Considering all the drawbacks of an artificial pacemaker, a Canadian research team at the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine in Toronto is trying the build a stem cell-derived pacemaker that would be an ideal alternative to the natural system. They are aiming at transforming the embryonic stem cells into pacemaker cells so that they can naturally receive and give electrical heart signals.

There have been many researches and studies around artificial pacemaker with stem cells. But this research is special because it focuses on creating SAN pacemaker cells from the stem cells whereas other studies involve creating various types of cardiomyocytes.

Earlier in 2015, another team created SAN-like pacemaker cells from stem cells but they permanently inserted the gene into the DNA of the cells, which may lead to tumor and thus is not suitable for clinical procedures.  The McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine team has relied on a process that is gene insertion-free. Stephanie Protze, the first author in the report, said, “It’s tricky, you have to determine the right signaling molecules, at the right concentration, at the right time to stimulate the stem cells.”[1]

The research shows that 90% of the SAN cells that are derived from stem cells have the natural pacemaker functionality. That means that these cells can function as a natural pacemaker. This is an interesting step towards treating people with heartbeat problems.

The team had implemented the method on a rat module and now they are eager to implement the new technique to create pacemaker cells from human stem cells. This may be a time-consuming process and may take a longer time to come down to any conclusion, but the approach will enable the team to study heartbeat disorders and thereby to come up with drugs that can improve the condition.

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A few days ago, I called my friend Sunita and enquired after her family. As soon as she received the call, I was able to sense that something was wrong. She sounded extremely tensed.  On asking, she told me that her daughter Ria, had conjunctivitis. God, even a toddler can have conjunctivitis! This I was not aware of, at all.

A few days later, I found out that Ria was now doing well and she visited my house with her parents yesterday. The visit led to a long discussion between Sunita, her husband Keshav and me and I definitely learnt something from it.

Keshav said that conjunctivitis is caused due to an infection in the lining of the eyelids and the outer protective layer of the eye. The infection may also occur due to a virus and bacteria; though the former is probably a more common source of the infection.

Ria contracted conjunctivitis through a virus infection, which was why she was having symptoms typical of a common cold. To this, Sunita added that if a baby’s eyes starts to produce a thick yellow discharge, resulting in swelling of the eyelids or the eyelids starts to stick together; then the conjunctivitis are due to bacteria such as staphylococcus, streptococcus or hemophilus.

Besides these types, there is a slightly more serious form of bacteria conjunctivitis called opthalmia neonatorum which occurs in newborns because of exposure to chlamydia and gonorrhoea during delivery.

On asking them how they figured out that Ria had conjunctivitis Sunita and Keshav said they were not able to understand that it was conjunctivitis at the very first instance. One fine morning, when Ria woke up, they noticed water draining from her eyes. Not giving it too much thought, they assumed it must be due to a lack of sleep. Then after a day, they noticed that her eyes had turned red and puffy, and a sticky coating developed on her eyelashes, followed by irritability and fever. That certainly scared the wits out of them. They immediately drove her to the paediatrician who confirmed that it was conjunctivitis.

When I asked them how they went about the stem cell treatment process, they told me that they followed the doctor’s advice to the letter. They always kept Ria’s eyes clean by washing it gently, several times a day with cotton wool soaked in tepid water. Tepid water is boiled water followed by a cooling process, in word lukewarm water. In addition, they also used an eye-drop prescribed by the doctor.

Sunita mentioned that in case other infants have other kinds of conjunctivitis, then the following methods of treatments are usually followed.

For chlamydial conjunctivitis, oral antibiotics are usually prescribed by the doctors; for gonococcal conjunctivitis, intravenous antibiotics are sometimes used; for chemical conjunctivitis, there is no medicinal treatment so far and the babies automatically get cured in 24 to 36 hours.

For prevention, Keshav said, they used a separate towel for Ria and were extremely particular and cautious about anyone using that towel. Also, they -made sure that their hands were always dirt-free, especially during cleaning their baby’s eyes.

Sunita and Keshav are-certainly more relaxed now because of their baby -has gotten over her first experience of conjunctivitis.

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Aging is a natural process that no one can deny. But how about a treatment that will not only keep your muscles flexible during the normal aging process, but also treat various muscle wasting diseases? Well, this is no more a mere concept. The Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have discovered that stem cells, present in the muscle tissues, can prevent tissue scarring, clinically termed as fibrosis.

Thomas Rando, who lead the study, said, “Fibrosis occurs in many degenerative diseases and also in normal aging,” he added, “It negatively impacts muscle regeneration by altering the stem cell niche and inhibiting the stem cell function. In addition, as more scarring occurs, muscles become stiff and can’t contract and relax smoothly.”

The team tried to understand how normal muscle tissues regenerate under usual circumstances and at the same time how they respond to injuries. During the research, they concentrated on fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs), the stem cells that reside in the muscle and build the desired connective tissue structure to support muscle regeneration.

The findings of the research are quite amazing. Not only had they discovered that the stem cells in the muscle have the ability to respond to aging, injuries or diseases, but also they can prevent fibrosis.

The scientists studied PDGFR alpha (PDGFRa), a protein found on the surface of FAPs.  The structure and function of the PDGFRa protein is quite intriguing. It straddles the cell membrane. The outer part of the protein functions as a landing area for any external factors that encourage the FAP cells to divide. The inner portion helps to pass on the external signal inside. If the response is somehow over-enthusiastic, it may lead to fibrosis. So, a balanced response on the stem cell’s part is required for an optimum result.

The study showed that the muscle-embedded stem cells can police themselves to get the optimum response. Rando pointed out, “We’ve found that the cells actively regulate the production of the inhibitory form of the protein, which is very surprising. If they make less, the degree of fibrosis increases; if they make more, it decreases.”

The normal version of PDGFRa protein instructs the FAPs to divide and grow, which is ideal if FAPs try to repair any tissue damage. However, excessive growth may lead to fibrosis. In order to avoid it, FAPs build a truncated version of PDGFRa protein that orders the cells to prevent tissue scarring by restricting any further division.

The research team figured out that the stem cells create a shortened version of the protein, which is not there in the interior portion. The shortened version of the protein hides the external growth signals away from the larger version of the protein. The cells grow the ability to create the shortened form of the protein by identifying and implementing a series of nucleotides. The nucleotide code then instructs the cell’s messenger RNA to set up a shorter signal. Consequently, the protein gets truncated.

The researchers forced the FAPs to build the shortened version of the protein in a mouse model. Followed by the process, both young and old mice showed less scarring. The team is soon to test this approach for muscle wasting diseases like muscular dystrophy in a similar mouse model. We will certainly keep you updated on the findings. Stay tuned!

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According to Medical News Today, “Strokes occur due to problems with the blood supply to the brain: either the blood supply is blocked or a blood vessel within the brain ruptures, causing brain tissue to die. A stroke is a medical emergency, and treatment must be sought as quickly as possible.”

Strokes can be of three types, namely, a) Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs); b) Ischemic strokes; and c) Hemorrhagic strokes.

Currently, the only US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatment for strokes involves the tissue plasminogen activator or tPA. Basically, these are used to dissolve the blood clots that are formed in the event of a stroke when the arteries are blocked preventing adequate flow of blood to the brain. It is essential that the tPA is provided to patients within 3 to 4 hours after the stroke happens in order for it to be effective. If a patient cannot reach the hospital in time for the tPA to be administered then more often than not it could result in lasting damage.

However, a recent article titled ‘3K3A–activated protein C stimulates post-ischemic neuronal repair by human neural stem cells in mice’ stated the possibility of the damage being cured. The article stated that a team based at the University of Southern California (USA) conducted a research using a mixture of one-two punch stem cells along with a protein that assists cells in converting into brain cells known as neurons.

Author Kevin McCormack, in his article regarding the research, stated, “First, the researchers induced a stroke in mice and then transplanted human neural stem cells alongside the damaged brain tissue. They then added a dose of the protein 3K3A-APC or a placebo. They found that mice treated with 3K3A-APC had 16 times more human stem-cell derived neurons than the mice treated with the placebo. Those neurons weren’t just sitting around doing nothing.”

In order to ensure that the improvement witnessed in the mice was solely due to the 3K3A-ACP cell that had been transplanted into them, the researchers killed the neurons that they had produced with the help of a toxin. The result was that the mice were reverted to their previous state and could not be differentiated from other untreated mice.

Other studies have also been conducted which have conclusively proved that when stroke victims were injected with stem cells gathered from borrowed bone marrows, they displayed a marked improvement from their previous state and were also able to regain some amount of bodily movements.

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A life-changing human condition, ASD or more commonly known as Autism Spectrum Disorder leaves one with an incapacity that is devastating. Clinical studies on multiple family histories and twins have shown that some cases of ASD are genetic. However, the majority do not fall under this category and appears suddenly in young children intermittently or idiopathically.

At the Hussman Institute of Autism (HIA) in USA, a team has been studying upcoming methodologies that are related to using of induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs. A group of mature human stem cells from the skin or the blood on being experimentally induced, possess the potential to differentiate into most cell types in the body. Since 2006, the process of induction and differentiation has had period upgradations. “One of the exciting aspects of working with iPSCs is that we can study autism in human neurons that have the exact genetic background of a given individual with autism,” said John P. Hussman, executive director of HIA.

“Mini-brains” or organoids, a resultant from the iPS cells of ASD patients have been produced by another research group from Yale. It came to light that ASD mini-brains are comprised of inhibitory neuron which is a type of nerve cell that multiplies and blocks the production of a protein called FOXG1 and then returns these nerve cells back to their normal population count.

A CIRM funded study led by Rusty Gage on a secondary stem cell model for ASD proposing fresh evidences into the initial neurodevelopmental deficiencies seen in ASD patients were published in the Nature Journal Molecular Psychiatry by the Salk Institute (USA) in partnership with scientists at UC San Diego.

Under clinical conditions, Gage along with team of researchers attempted to create iPS cells particularly from those select ASD patients who had undergone a brain growth of up to 23% faster during their toddler stage. Under constant investigations, the researchers studied the ways by which iPS cells from these select ASD individuals developed into brain stem cells. The next stage of growth turned these brain stem cells into nerve cells. The entire growth progression was mapped and matched to that of healthy iPS cells from normal individuals.

Under close observation of the procedure, the team quickly found an issue with the multiplication of the brain stem cells in order to generate new nerve cells in the brain. The process has been termed as neurogenesis. A surplus amount of nerve cells were being produced as the brain stem cells extracted from ASD iPS cells exhibited additional neurogenesis compared to normal brain stem cells. The nerve cells were incapable of sending signals and establishing a working system of transmission. Due to a lack of the synaptic connections with each other by these additional nerve cells their performance remained anomalous, portraying an inability to be less effective compared to healthy neurons.

IGF-1, a drug that is currently undergoing clinical testing towards probable treatment for autism was used in this instance to treat the nerve cells. The team noticed partial correction in the abnormal activity observed in the ASD neurons. According to a Salk news release, “the group plans to use the patient cells to investigate the molecular mechanisms behind IGF-1’s effects, in particular probing for changes in gene expression with treatment.”

Gage’s opinion is that: “This technology allows us to generate views of neuron development that have historically been intractable. We’re excited by the possibility of using stem cell methods to unravel the biology of autism and to possibly screen for new drug treatments for this debilitating disorder.”

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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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