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Despite the wide use of umbilical cord blood in medicine, opinions on the sense of collecting and storing such blood in our country are still divided. There are doubts that in Poland umbilical cord blood is not used, that there is not enough blood collected to help anyone in the event of a real need, that the probability of using cord blood in the family is so negligible that only the existence of public banks makes sense. So let’s follow what we know about umbilical cord blood stem cells and how they can be used?
The material was created in cooperation with the Polish Stem Cell Bank
In 1988 in Paris, the first successful cord blood transplant was prepared by the American scientist Hal Broxmeyer, and the application was conducted by Eliane Gluckman from France. The transplant recipient was then a XNUMX-year-old boy suffering from congenital Fanconi anemia, while cord blood was collected from his newborn sister. The transplanted stem cells took root and began to multiply in the patient’s marrow, rebuilding the hematopoietic system. The boy – an adult man today – is alive to this day, and his health does not differ from the norm.
This success marked a new stage in medicine, resulting in the rapid emergence of umbilical cord blood banks, both public – that is, where cord blood stem cells are generally available – and family banks where stem cells are kept only for potential needs. a given family.
Stem cells are non-specialized primary cells that are capable of unlimited division and differentiation into many types of cells. The source of hematopoietic stem cells can be bone marrow, peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood. Such cells can be used to restore the hematopoietic and immune systems, for example in myeloid leukemia.
Obtaining stem cells from the bone marrow involves puncturing and collecting material from the plate of the iliac bone, this procedure requires general anesthesia. In turn, hematopoietic stem cells from peripheral blood are collected from a vein using a cell separator, after prior injection of the donor with hematopoietic growth factors (most often GM – CSF). Both treatments, however, require special conditions and some preparation before carrying them out.
A relatively simple and completely neutral procedure for a newborn baby is to collect blood that remains after delivery in the placenta and umbilical cord – it is umbilical cord blood, which is rich in stem cells. Stem cells obtained during childbirth can be stored in liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees Celsius for up to 50 years. Cord blood stem cells are not only easier and faster to obtain, but also have a much higher proliferation capacity, they multiply more easily and are much more versatile, making transplantation of such cells more common.
Is umbilical cord blood sufficient in case it is needed? The portion which is obtained from a single donation is usually sufficient for a transplant for a donor weighing about 40-50 kg. However, it should be remembered that, if necessary, the portions can be combined or supplemented with stem cells from the bone marrow or peripheral blood.
As in the case of stem cells taken from bone marrow or peripheral blood, the indications for the transplantation of stem cells from umbilical cord blood are acquired and congenital diseases of the hematopoietic system, some neoplastic diseases, diseases of the immune system or some hereditary diseases, e.g. mucopolysaccharidosis. Recently, stem cell transplantation has also been used successfully in non-cancer hematological diseases as well as in autoimmune diseases. These treatments are reimbursed by the National Health Fund. In Poland, they are performed by 5 transplant centers, including in Wrocław, Poznań, Bydgoszcz, Kraków and Lublin. However, what is particularly interesting are the latest research results published in the USA – they show that using your own umbilical cord blood improves the health of children with cerebral palsy.
The use of stem cells is therefore very wide. In 2012, the world heard about the millionth transplantation of stem cells, of which 40 cases were just cord blood cells. A significant part of the recipients are children in whom stem cells from younger siblings were used. More than 000 cases are autologous transplants. So far, several dozen umbilical cord blood transplants have been performed in Poland. In 1000, umbilical cord blood stem cells from the family’s Polish Stem Cell Bank were used for the first time in a boy with acute myeloid leukemia.
Looking at the problem objectively, certainly due to the very low probability of developing leukemia in a given family, public blood banks are of much greater importance. However, if there has been a history of oncological diseases in the family, cord blood donation can be treated as an insurance policy that we will hopefully never have to use. In the light of new medical reports, parents who want to secure the possibility of using cells for the treatment of diseases such as autism or cerebral palsy should also think about the protection of umbilical cord blood during childbirth.
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The decision to collect (or not) umbilical cord blood is an important, as it is an irrevocable decision. It must be undertaken by the parents themselves, who should learn about all the current possibilities and limitations associated with it. This is the opinion of scientific societies and the European Parliament. The mere collection of umbilical cord blood is ethically accepted by the Church.
The material was created in cooperation with the Polish Stem Cell Bank