- UMBILICAL CORD MESENCHYMAL STEM CELL STORAGE -
What Are Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells?
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Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells are a type of multipotent stem cell found in the tissue of a newborn’s umbilical cord.
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Under specific conditions, they can be induced to differentiate into various types of tissue cells and have broad clinical application potential.
Mesenchymal stem cells, following embryonic stem cells and hematopoietic stem cells, have become another major focus in scientific research. They are considered “practical stem cells” capable of treating a wide range of systemic diseases.
Applications of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells:
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) originate from early embryonic mesodermal tissue and are classified as multipotent stem cells. They are named for their presence in the body's mesenchymal (connective) tissues and possess characteristics such as multi-lineage differentiation potential, support for hematopoietic reconstruction, promotion of stem cell engraftment, immune regulation, and self-renewal.
Under specific induction conditions in vivo or in vitro, MSCs can differentiate into a variety of tissue types, including bone, cartilage, muscle, tendons, ligaments, nerves, liver, myocardium, blood vessels, epithelium, endothelium, and fat. Even after continuous passaging and cryopreservation, they retain their multi-differentiation potential. This makes them ideal seed cells for repairing tissue and organ damage caused by aging or disease.
- UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL STORAGE -
What Are Umbilical Cord Blood Hematopoietic Stem Cells?
Umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells are a group of primitive, highly undifferentiated cells that are the origin of all blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) and immune cells.
They are collected from the umbilical vein after the baby’s umbilical cord is cut. For the baby, autologous transplantation requires no matching, and for genetically related family members, the matching rate is high.
What Are Umbilical Cord Blood Hematopoietic Stem Cells?
According to relevant national regulations, the approved indications for umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cell therapy include:
1. Bone marrow failure, hemoglobinopathies, severe immunodeficiency disorders, and metabolic diseases.
2. Acquired Diseases:
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Malignant Diseases: Acute leukemia, chronic leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, multiple myeloma, malignant lymphoma, and certain other malignancies.
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Non-malignant Diseases: Severe aplastic anemia, severe radiation sickness.
Since 1988, when Gluckman successfully treated Fanconi anemia using cord blood transplantation between siblings, umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has gained increasing attention. It has become an effective alternative to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, demonstrating tremendous potential.
With the advancement of biotechnology, there are now over 1,000 registered clinical studies worldwide on the therapeutic use of umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells. These studies cover more than 80 types of diseases, including both hematologic and non-hematologic conditions such as lupus, Crohn’s disease, autism, cerebral palsy, and spinal cord injury.
To date, over 40,000 cord blood transplants have been performed globally, with more than 5,000 cases in China alone.
Advantages of Umbilical Cord Blood Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Compared with unrelated bone marrow transplantation, cord blood transplantation offers the following advantages:
1. Abundant source, Umbilical cord blood is readily available.
2. Easy collection, The procedure is safe and causes no harm to the mother or baby.
3. Physical storage, Unlike bone marrow registries, cord blood is stored as a physical unit and cannot be refused by the donor.
4. Faster matching, HLA-matched cord blood units can be located and transplanted more quickly.
5. Lower GVHD Risk, Immature immune cells reduce severity and incidence; better HLA tolerance requires fewer donors.
6. Lower infection risk, Cord blood carries a lower risk of viral contamination, reducing post-transplant viral infections.
Significance of Autologous Umbilical Cord Blood Hematopoietic Stem Cell Storage
Stored autologous umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells provide a vital safeguard for the health of both the child and their family. In hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, autologous stem cells offer a 100% HLA match, ensuring the highest likelihood of compatibility. Among siblings, the full match rate exceeds 25%, while with parents, there is typically at least a half match. In contrast, the match rate with unrelated donors is as low as 1 in 50,000 to 100,000. Since the success of transplantation largely depends on the degree of HLA compatibility, storing autologous placental blood stem cells effectively secures a unique and irreplaceable medical resource — a powerful health assurance for the child and their loved ones.
- PLACENTAL MESENCHYMAL STEM CELL STORAGE -
Significance of Autologous Umbilical Cord Blood Hematopoietic Stem Cell Storage
Stored autologous umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells provide a vital safeguard for the health of both the child and their family. In hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, autologous stem cells offer a 100% HLA match, ensuring the highest likelihood of compatibility. Among siblings, the full match rate exceeds 25%, while with parents, there is typically at least a half match.
In contrast, the match rate with unrelated donors is as low as 1 in 50,000 to 100,000. Since the success of transplantation largely depends on the degree of HLA compatibility, storing autologous placental blood stem cells effectively secures a unique and irreplaceable medical resource — a powerful health assurance for the child and their loved ones.
Placental mesenchymal stem cells are a group of multipotent stem cells derived from the placenta of newborns. They possess greater proliferative capacity and differentiation potential than umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells.
Applications of Placental Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Areas of Application:
Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, immune system diseases, degenerative diseases, neurological conditions, digestive system diseases, and more. Compared to umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, placental mesenchymal stem cells have a broader range of applications.