It’s thankfully unimaginable for most of us: Receiving a curse simultaneously with the blessing to remedy it. The mix of emotions. The roller coaster ride.
Meet the Hendersons. In the span of a month, Julie and Jonathan Henderson first found out the incredible news that Julie was pregnant and then the devastating news that their two-year-old son, Nicolas, had T-cell Lymphoma.
The Henderson’s doctor had suggested that they save their newborn baby’s umbilical cord blood so that, in the event that Nicolas’ chemotherapy failed, a stem cell transplant would be an option. If the boys were a match, the doctors could give Nicolas a transplant using the stem cells from the baby’s umbilical cord blood. Nicolas’ chemotherapy was not successful. Sam Sharf, the transplant coordinator at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL, where Nicolas was referred to for the transplant, recommended using Cryo-Cell International to store the umbilical cord blood. The transplant was done two months after the Henderson’s baby Nathaniel was born.
Today, Nicolas is a happy, energetic fifteen-year-old whose cancer is gone owing to the transplant of his baby brother’s cord blood stem cells. “We have many friends who are pregnant or have had babies recently, and we have been telling them about all the benefits of banking umbilical cord blood,” reports Jonathan Henderson, father of the two boys. “Even without a family history of illness, we recommend it. If it were not for the option of cord blood stem cell banking, we might not be able to tell this story today.”
The ABCs of Stem Cells
Most people have read or heard about stem cells and the excitement they have generated in the medical research world. Stem cell treatment is on everyone’s radar (for good reason). Professional athletes are using stem cells to treat a variety of injuries. The use of stem cells to treat degenerative diseases like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) achieved wonderful traction last summer due to the Ice Bucket Challenge.
But what are stem cells, and why are they different from other cell types such as blood cells, brain cells, and muscle cells?
Stem cells are unique because they have three special properties:
A. They are un-specialized cells; this means that they have not developed into a mature cell type.
B. They are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods.
C. Under certain conditions, they can turn into specialized cell types. This process is called differentiation.
Because of these abilities, in particular stem cells’ ability to differentiate into an enormous range of healthy functioning cells, virtually any disease that results in cellular and tissue destruction can potentially be treated by stem cells. Stem cells represent a potential opportunity to treat chronic diseases such as diabetes, spinal cord injuries, retinal disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, and cancer.
Why Is Umbilical Cord Blood and Cord Tissue So Special?
Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of hematopoietic (blood-derived) stem cells, which generate every type of blood and immune cell. These cells are already being used to treat close to 80 diseases, including cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia and inherited metabolic disorders. Over 30,000 transplants worldwide have already been performed using stem cells from umbilical cord blood. Umbilical cord tissue, able to be collected at the same time as umbilical cord blood, is rich in mesenchymal (tissue-derived) stem cells which are currently being used in many clinical trials investigating the treatment of cardiomyopathy, heart disease, ulcerative colitis, stroke, diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver.
Cord blood and cord tissue are collected immediately after the birth of the baby by your caregiver (e.g. ob-gyn, nurse, midwife.) The collection process can be performed with either vaginal or cesarean section deliveries, and there is absolutely no pain or risk to the mother or child.
Different from other types of stem cells, cord blood and cord tissue stem cells are naïve, or immature, and their ability to repopulate several different cell populations in the body is unique. Stem cells taken from your newborn’s umbilical cord blood are a great source of cells for not only autologous (same person) use, but they are can be highly effective when used allogenically (other person) for treatment. This is due to the immature immune nature of cord blood stem cells, and results in being able to more easily identify a match when compared to other accepted sources such as bone marrow. This means that these cells can be used not only to safeguard that specific child’s future, but they can most likely be used to treat siblings, parents, and other close relatives in the event that a disease manifests itself. There is only one time these cells will be available, and that is right after the birth of your child.
While the future is impossible to predict, one thing remains certain — the research, use and benefits of stem cells will expand and increase exponentially. Only the surface has been scratched when it comes to discovering the potential of these cells to treat diseases and disorders.
Cryo-Cell International is the world’s first, private cord blood bank, giving birth to the industry in 1989. They are a leader in cord blood research and hold more cord blood patents, through their research affiliate, than any other cord blood bank. They offer competitive pricing, a best price guarantee and special discounts (half the cost for active military personnel). Please contact Marion Welch, Cord Blood Educator at Cryo-Cell, with any questions or if you'd like to learn more about banking your baby's cord blood and tissue.
