Cord Blood
So what is cord blood? Cord blood is essentially blood that is left behind in the placenta and in the umbilical cord. When babies are born and umbilical cords are cut, some of the blood remain along the blood vessels of the placenta and the umbilical cord. Whatever is left is basically called umbilical cord blood or placental blood, depending on where they are taken from. For the benefit of those looking to learn what is cord blood, it will be referred to as such, a general term without reference to where it was taken from.
Why cord blood?
Part of understanding what is cord blood is knowing what cord blood exactly has that makes it such an attractive source. For starters, cord blood contains all the usual elements found in blood, like the red and white blood cells, plasma, and platelets. However, it is also abundant in blood-forming hematopoietic stem cells, that are similar to those contained within bone marrow. It is for this reason why after learning what is cord blood, a lot of people are interested in cord blood transplant in lieu of using bone marrow. Learning what is cord blood has also led a lot of people to experiment on it as a stem cell source. Most transplants done using cord blood were for patients with immune system and blood diseases, although those with metabolic or genetic diseases are also prime candidates. In total, there are over 80 different diseases to date that have been treated with unrelated transplants using cord blood, including Leukemias, Lymphomas, Myelodysplasias, Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes, Hemoglobinopathies, Immune Deficiencies, Histocytosis, Metabolic or Storage Diseases, Neutrophil Disorders, Platelet Disorders, and other malignancies such as breast cancer, neuroblastoma, and plasma cell disorder.
The future uses of cord blood
Understanding the basics of what is cord blood in the past is what led scientists today to discover how cord blood can be used in treating a myriad of conditions. Armed with the knowledge of what is cord blood, scientists are now testing the possibility of using stem cells in cord blood for replacing cells in other tissues, such as the heart or nerve cells.
Using cord blood
Armed with knowledge from learning what is cord blood, the National Cord Blood Program (NCBP) has set out to further research and utilization of cord blood. Far from simply learning what is cord blood, the NCBP has facilitated more than 3,500 transplants all over the world, with over 50,000 cord blood units banked for future use. Every unit has 20ml of cord blood, including nearly all of the white blood cells and hematopoietic stem cells and 5ml of cryoprotectant fluid. All units also feature quarantine overwraps, and are then placed in protective metal canisters, frozen at controlled temperatures, and stored in liquid nitrogen freezers. The stem cells found in every unit can be engrafted and grown to replace diseased bone marrow with healthy, thriving bone marrow cells. Adults requiring cord blood for treatment may used two and more units. What was then simply known as learning what is cord blood can now be used to save lives and give people a shot at their own futures.