Umbilical Cord Blood: All the Uses about the Blood Discussed Here
Cord blood is the one that remains inside the umbilical cord and placenta of the baby after birth. This blood, is a really rich source of different stem cells as well as many other important cells. These cells can be collected at birth and then kept in store for future use. One needs to realize that collection of the Umbilical cord blood, can be done only once, immediately after the birth of the baby.
After the cord gets cut from the baby, different stem cells are obtained from it. These cells remain in the umbilical cord and placenta. This cord blood is then sent off to the laboratory where stem cells are extracted from the RBCs and plasma of that blood.
Stem cells
The stem cells present in the cord blood, is frozen and stored inside a liquid nitrogen tank. These stem cells, can be thawed when required and transferred to the sick patient intravenously. These cells can treat many different types of diseases. The cord blood, contain several kinds of stem cells. These cells have the capability of differentiating into many kinds of specialized cells and other tissues.
Cells for the immune system
The stem cells and Cord tissue are really important for the sick individuals. These blood cells and cells for the immune system, can aid in making an individual again normal. These stem cells can be directed into other cell lines with ease. Therefore, the stem cells can form liver cells, cells of the nervous system as well as muscles. The use of regenerative medicine, promise to show some positive results for treating brain injuries as well as cerebral palsy attacks and stroke.
Some facts about the blood
The cord blood can be collected very easily. It essentially takes about five minutes to complete the collection. The procedure is completely safe and poses no risk to the mother or the baby. If required, the blood can be used immediately. The Cord blood banking, is really flourishing at present, as more and more people become aware of its benefits. The various graft versus host diseases have reduced significantly owing to the use of this procedure.