The umbilical cord of the baby provides blood, oxygen and
nutrient exchange between the mother and the baby through the placenta. After
delivery, the umbilical cord of the baby is cut and the remaining part of the
umbilical cord and placenta are thrown out within half an hour. After the
baby's umbilical cord is cut, we call it the blood of the blood remaining in
the cord, we take this blood with special methods and we call it "storage
of cord blood" or "cord blood banking".
Cord blood is very rich in stem cells. Stem cells are the
main cells that can turn into any cell in the human body. These stem cells are
most commonly found in infancy and the number decreases as the age gets older.
Stem cells, of course, are not only found in the umbilical cord, but they are
also obtained from bone marrow and blood in the vessels, and have been used in
the treatment of various diseases for years. But the easiest and most available
place is the umbilical cord.
Some researchers advocate for this practice only in babies of
couples who have a family history of the disease that may require bone marrow
transplantation. Some other researchers suggest that everyone should use this
alternative, considering the rapid development in stem cell studies. The possibility
that they can be used in different ways in the laboratory environment by using
the stem cells available in the future supports this kind of approach.
How is cord
blood taken?
Immediately after the baby is born, the umbilical cord is
tied and the blood in it is collected in the bag with the help of a special
system. There is no intervention to the baby or mother. The procedure is not
harmful to the mother or baby. The collected blood is sent to the laboratory
within 36 hours. Here, the root cells in the blood are separated, frozen and
stored by special methods. It can be applied in normal or cesarean delivery.
The more blood can be collected, the more stem cells have been collected.
However, it is sufficient to take approximately 50-100 milliliters of cord
blood.
What
diseases can be treated with stem cell transplantation?
Stem cells can be used in various diseases that the baby may
have in the future (leukemia, lymphoma, blood diseases, bone marrow diseases,
some cancers ...). Apart from that, it can also be used in diseases of siblings
or close relatives with tissue compatibility.
As an
example of these diseases:
Lymphomas (Lymph node cancer) - Leukemias - Acute Lymphocytic
Leukemia - Acute Myelocytic Leukemia - Acute Non-Lymphocytic Leukemia - Chronic
Myeliciatric Leukemia - Myelodysplasia Multiple Myeloma Solid Tumors - Breast
Cancer - Brain Tumors - Ewings sarcoma Anesthesia - Fanconi anemia Immune
deficiencies - Severe Combined Immune deficiency Disease (SCID) - Combined
Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID) - Wiscott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS) -
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis Hereditary metabolic disorders -
Leukodystrophies - Osteopetrosis
Studies on many diseases are ongoing. Some of these diseases
are: - Stroke - Some autoimmune diseases (diabetes, lupus, multiple sclerosis)
- Heart disease - Muscular dystrophy - Neurological disorders (ALS, Parkinson)
- Bone / cartilage diseases
-INFORMING THE MOTHERS BEFORE PREGNANCY
-CORD BLOOD BANKING
-DOES THE AGE OF THE FATHER BRINGS SOME RISKSWITH ADVANCING AGES?
-MALE PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS
