The importance of stem cells from the cord blood
The umbilical cord contains powerful stem cells that have been used to regenerate healthy blood and immune systems. Cord blood stem cells have been used in more than 35,000 transplants worldwide. Doctors are also researching cord blood as potential treatment for conditions that currently have no cure. Stem cells are able to transform into other types of cells in the body to create new growth and development. They are the building block of the immune system. The transformation of these cells provides physicians with a way to treat leukemia and some inherited health disorders.If parents do not decide to collect the stem cells, they are discarded as medical waste, if not collected at birth. Usually the volume of stem cells collected is quite small, so these cells are usually used for children or small adults. So, the stem cells are frozen and stored by cord blood banks or programs until they are needed.