Stem cell donation from umbilical cord blood

After birth and the umbilical cord is cut, valuable blood stem cells are obtained from the umbilical cord.

Stem cells, as they say, are the descendants of the cells that were created from the fertilized egg through division. It is an issue Cells that have not yet been assigned a specific function in the body Yes. They are characterized by the ability to renew themselves (divide) and grow into different cells and tissues. Cells for different organs can still develop from the earliest stem cells. For example for muscles, nerves, lungs or blood.

Stem cells are located in the bone marrow, in small measure in the blood and after birth in the umbilical cord and the placenta. These are blood-forming stem cells that can form the blood-forming system and the immune system. In addition, tissue stem cells are also present – in large numbers, especially in umbilical cord tissue.

Basically, stem cells from umbilical cord blood have the advantage that they are still “young” and have a high capacity for proliferation and differentiation. They also cause fewer rejection reactions after the transplant.

Stem cell therapy can be used in various fields of medicine, where new and healthy cells are needed. It is especially known for leukemia. This disease affects the blood formation system and the white blood cells multiply abnormally. Chemotherapy first destroys the malignant white blood cells before the blood system is regenerated with stem cells. This treatment puts a lot of stress on the body because the destruction of white blood cells greatly weakens the immune system.

The stem cells needed for the treatment either come from your own body (this may be possible after previous chemotherapy) or are donated stem cells. The same applies to cells donated in relation to organ donation: the stem cells must be compatible with the receiverotherwise they could be rejected. In almost half of the patients who need a stem cell transplant, a suitable, compatible donor cannot be found.

In umbilical cord blood there is a particularly large number of cells from which different types of Blood cells and immune cells of the immune system improve. Unlike stem cells from bone marrow or blood, they are easily obtained at birth after the baby’s umbilical cord is removed and without risk to mother and child. They can be frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen for years and are quickly available when needed. Another advantage is that they reproduce very quickly and rarely cause immune reactions.

Only a small number of stem cells are present in umbilical cord blood. For this reason, in most cases they are transmitted to children and often to adults.

Umbilical cord blood donation is for both mother and child completely painless and risk-free. After the baby is born, some blood remains in the placenta and the umbilical cord. The remaining blood is taken by a specialist under strict conditions immediately after the baby’s umbilical cord is removed. It is then taken to the umbilical cord blood bank and stored in deep freeze under strict quality guidelines and compliance with Transplantation Act requirements.

The new parents do not notice much about the umbilical cord blood collection.

Umbilical cord blood may or may not be donated in the following cases:

• In premature birth

• If there are problems during pregnancy or childbirth

• If the mother has addiction

• If serious hereditary diseases are known to run in the family

• With some infectious diseases mother or father

When parents consider storing umbilical cord blood, they must decide whether to do so for a suitable tenant give or to the child or if you want to keep it for your own family. If the child becomes ill later in life with an illness that can be treated with a stem cell transplant, he may receive the stored stem cells, which would kill rejection reactions from the beginning.

But it is also possible to use umbilical cord stem cells with other family members – siblings – to use. For these, the baby’s cells are likely to be compatible with their own cells.

Depending on what the parents decide, the stem cells will be stored after collection:

• In the public umbilical cord blood banks in Switzerland Only stem cells available for donation are stored. Example: if a stem cell transplant is being considered for a sick family member.

• If the stem cells are stored for your own child or family, this must be done through a private umbilical cord blood bank happen The parents also have to bear the expenses themselves.

• The third – new – is the so-called ability hybrid umbilical cord blood storage. The stem cells are stored for the child or family, but at the same time they are listed in the public stem cell donor registry and parents can release them for a patient worldwide if necessary