By Les Scammell
This is the first in a multi-part series on cord blood and stem cells

Cord blood:

Or more correctly, umbilical cord blood is as the name suggests, the blood that is taken from the umbilical cord after a baby has been born. Normally, the umbilical cord and its contents are thrown away after birth, however, doctors have now found that this blood is full of a substance known as stem cells.

Stem Cells:

Stem cells are the most primitive cell found living animals. These cells multiple and grow in a embryo to form a living animal. It is believed that stem cells have the ability to grow into any organ. At present, research is centered around childhood cancers and nerve damage, particularly spinal cord damage.

Harvesting Cord Blood:

The act of harvesting cord blood should not be confused with the act of harvesting stem cells - they are two separate activities. Many will claim that stem cell harvesting is harmless to the mother and baby, and it is. However, cord blood harvesting is not always 'harmless' to the mother and baby. When a baby is born, the baby generally draws much of the blood out of the umbilical cord. When cord blood is harvested, there has been a tendency to cut the umbilical cord too soon, thus depriving the baby of that blood. Problems are rare, but they do exist and every parent should be aware of this before having their babies cord blood harvested.

Harvesting Stem Cells:

Cord blood is collected and sent to a laboratory where stem cells are extracted. These stem cells can then be frozen and stored for many years. Parents have three choices - not to harvest cord blood, to harvest cord blood for public use, and to harvest cord blood for their families use. The later can be quite costly with cord blood collection, stem cell harvesting and long term storage running into many thousands of dollars.

How Are Stem Cells Used:

Stem cells are currently being used to treat and cure more than 70 life threatening diseases including many cancers, immune deficiencies and genetic
disorders. Because of the primitive nature of stem cells, rejection is rarely a problem. However, the most effective use is when the donor falls ill. Their own stem cells can then be used to cure them of any problem - this is why private stem cell harvesting and storage has become so popular.