Mesenchymal Stem Cells Arrive at the Forefront of Research

At 1:29 pm by Kate - Category: Did You Hear?, Emerging Treatments

Stem cells are the building blocks of life. So it’s no surprise that a major source of these cells is in the life-giving connection between mother and baby—the umbilical cord. When parents choose to bank their baby’s cord blood, the physician collects the blood remaining in the umbilical cord after birth and discards the umbilical cord tissue. New research is showing, however, that valuable stem cells are not only found in cord blood; they’re also found in the umbilical cord tissue.

Stem cell overview: hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells

Cord blood contains a variety of stem cells, including hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). These newborn stem cells can do an array of things, including create and repair the blood and immune systems. Hematopoietic stem cells can be the unsung heroes in transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases. HSCs and other stem cells found in cord blood are also being explored as a treatment option in some regenerative therapies, including treatment for Type I diabetes and cerebral palsy.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are important building blocks found in bone marrow, but researchers have also found a wellspring of these important stem cells in the often discarded umbilical cord tissue. MSCs are non-hematopoietic stem cells that have unique regenerative properties; they can generate into bone, cartilage, fat, cells that support the formation of blood, and fibrous connective tissue.¹   In fact, based on pre-clinical research studies using animal models, scientists believe that MSCs have the potential to play a critical role in treating patients with liver fibrosis², lung cancer³, Parkinson’s disease⁴,rheumatoid arthritis⁵, and sports injuries.⁶

While there are no treatments available today using cord tissue MSCs in humans, a significant amount of research is being done to understand the potential therapeutic value of these cells. There are over 55 existing studies using MSCs taken from umbilical cord tissue that indicate how important these stem cells could be to the scientific community.

Cord blood and cord tissue: the value of their stem cells

If MSCs can be found in bone marrow and other sources in the body, why is it important that they also exist in the cord tissue? MSCs found in umbilical cord tissue are new, or immunologically naïve. They don’t have the ‘life experience’ of adult stem cells. Another reason is the number and differentiation potential of bone marrow MSCs decreases with age whereas MSCs from umbilical cord tissue have well-documented self-renewal and differentiation properties.

Although both MSCs and HSCs can be found in bone marrow and other sources in the body, the umbilical cord provides the opportunity to collect these valuable stem cells through a non-invasive procedure from a source that is otherwise discarded after birth. By collecting and storing the stem cells extracted from your umbilical cord tissue along with your baby’s cord blood, you’ll have access to a wider variety of stem cells as new scientific discoveries are made