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"Researchers in the US say they have been using stem cells to successfully treat genetic deseases in children..."
Source: BBC New
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 What are stem cells?
They are a unique type of growth cell, the original building blocks of life for the developing embryo in the womb. They turn into the different types of cells needed to make up the child, from heart muscles and skin tissues to red blood cells. Once separated from the cord blood, they can be stored in vapour nitrogen, and can be amplified in the laboratory. They are brought out of storage if and when the owner requests them.
What illnesses can the cells treat?
The main use so far has been childhood leukaemia and most forms of anaemia. Potentially the cells could be used to treat illnesses such as diabetes, strokes, multiple sclerosis, brain and muscle diseases, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
What is the characteristic that enables these cells to "cure" a diseased blood system, as with leukaemia?
It is the renewing properties of the cells which allow them to be used as a treatment.
The diseased cells must be completely removed by chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy. The umbilical cord stem cells can then be given intravenously to the patient and they will build a complete new blood system and maintain it for years to come.
How likely is it that my child will ever need these cells?
Hopefully never. If you think about it as an insurance policy, you always hope that you don't have to use it, but if you do it is available.
What is the possibility of matching with in my family?
There is a one in four (1:4) chance that siblings will match. This ratio goes down exponentially for parents and grandparents.
What happens to these cells after 25 years?
We believe that the cells will be viable indefinitely. There is no evidence to support that the cells will deteriorate after 25 years. The first sample that was stored was in 1979 and is still viable today. You will have the opportunity to continue storing, donate the cells to a public bank or have them destroyed if you so wish.
What is the difference between cord blood stem cells, embryonic stem cells, and bone marrow stem cells?
Stem cells from the umbilical cord are more flexible than stem cells taken from an adult's bone marrow. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are the predecessors of adult stem cells, and have the ability to divide into each type of cell, whereas bone marrow stem cells may have a more difficult time dividing.
Umbilical cord blood stem cells have a greater repopulating potential than bone marrow stem cells.
Bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell collection are painful and complicated procedures.
There are also many instances when bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells cannot be used, which would mean finding a donor.
Embryonic stem cells are cells that are taken from a 0-14 day old embryo. They are the richest form of stem cell but are associated with many ethical, religious, and legal issues.
Do you think people get confused between obtaining stem cells from un-needed embryos, bone marrow, and now umbilical cord blood? Is the confusion understandable, or is at all the same science?
There is confusion as to the source of stem cells and these sources are very different. Embryonic stem cells are a completely different set of cells compared to umbilical cord stem cells and the government regulates them. At the scientific level, the concepts are similar but embryonic stem cells raise many legal, ethical and moral questions, which umbilical cord stem cells do not.
Is it possible to obtain stem cells later in life?
Yes, stem cells are found in our bone marrow, where they continue to generate new blood cells throughout our lives. However, cord blood stem cells have a number of important advantages over bone marrow. Cord blood stem cells are easier to obtain than stem cells from bone marrow, and treatments using cord blood stem cells can be less costly than bone marrow transplants.
Additionally, the collection of cord blood is a quick, non-invasive and painless procedure with no risk to the mother or newborn. More important, however, is the fact that cord blood stem cells are a perfect match for the child they are collected from, thus eliminating the difficult process of finding a matching donor and minimizing the risks of rejection. U-Cord stem cells have a 1:4 (25%) chance of being an exact cell match for a sibling.
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