Stem Cell Blog
Употребата на матичните клетки од папочна врвца рапидно се зголемува. Пред 10 години крвта од папочна врвца можеше да лекува околу 40 состојби, но денес таа бројка е над 80. Со нетрпение очекуваме нови терапии за болести и нарушувања како што се дијабет, аутизам и мозочен удар, можете да бидете во тек со најновите случувања во регенеративната медицина на нашиот блог за матични клетки.
World Cancer Day takes place this year on 4th February. A day of global unity, dedicated to raising awareness about cancer, World Cancer Day also plays an important part in dispelling myths about cancer, in addition to promoting early detection and prevention.
This year’s World Cancer Day theme is ‘Close the Care Gap’, referring to the gap between the level of care received by privileged vs underprivileged cancer patients.
On this significant day, we’re invited not only to reflect on the impact of cancer but also asked to consider how care outcomes for a cancer diagnosis could be improved.
One such way is through cord blood banking, which is already being used in over 80 treatments, including for leukaemia.
In this blog, we will delve into the importance of cord blood banking and how it is offering hope in the fight against cancer.
Understanding Cord Blood Banking
Cord blood banking involves the collection and preservation of the residual blood from the newborn umbilical cord following birth.
This precious resource contains powerful stem cells that can develop into various specialised cells, such as the ones in hair, skin, organs, blood and the nervous system.
Their unique abilities to self-replicate and differentiate positions them at the forefront of regenerative medicine, a branch of medicine that makes use of stem cells’ potential capacity to repair, renew and regrow cells and tissues to treat a range of diseases. [1]
The Benefits of Cord Blood Banking
Cord blood stem cells are the approved therapy for over 80 diseases, including leukaemia, neuroblasts, and certain genetic disorders.
Their relative naivety and plasticity when compared to stem cells derived from other sources makes them some of the purest and most powerful forms of stem cell available.
Cord blood stem cells are a 100% match for your baby, meaning that they can be used in therapies without risk of rejection. They also have a good chance of being a perfect match for siblings and a partial match for family members, offering a safer and more accessible option for transplantation.
A painless and non-invasive procedure, cord blood collection is safe, non-invasive and poses little to no risk to the mother or baby.
As medical research advances, the potential uses of cord blood stem cells continue to expand.
Researchers are exploring their use in regenerative therapies that seek to harness the power of these stem cells in order to combat diseases that are currently incurable, including some forms of cancer. [2]
Promoting Cord Blood Banking on World Cancer Day
World Cancer Day provides an ideal platform to educate expectant parents and the general public about some of the most pioneering research happening to combat cancer, amongst them: cord blood banking.
Understanding the potential lifesaving impact of this resource is the first step in motivating more families to consider this option.
World Cancer Day reminds us of the global challenge posed by this disease, but it also presents an opportunity to promote hope and innovative solutions.
Cord blood banking is one such solution that has the potential to save lives and help in the battle against cancer.
Sarah’s Story
For eight year old Sarah, for instance, cord blood banking was the last hope she had after both chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant proved ineffective in the treatment of her acute myeloid leukaemia. [3]
A form of cancer that attacks the monocyte or granulocyte cells, naive progenitor white blood cells from bone marrow, acute myeloid leukaemia predominantly affects children and young people.
Chances of a full recovery are rarely good.
Having undergone a bone marrow transplant from her brother, Sarah initially showed promising signs of recovery, until the cancer returned.
Rounds of emergency chemotherapy were required to try to keep the cancer at bay, but it continued to return.
Seeing no other option for Sarah, doctors at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital offered her a pioneering stem cell transplant using donated cord blood.
Incredibly, thanks to this treatment Sarah and five other children who also participated in the trial, are now in remission; their access to a healthy, happy life restored to them.
Although this transplant was the result of donation, privately banking cord blood stem cells means that your baby always has access to their own perfect donor match: themselves.
This drastically reduces the risk of rejection should they ever need to access a therapy in future like Sarah’s.
With thousands of clinical trials currently underway to explore the potential uses for umbilical cord blood stem cells in a range of regenerative treatments, storing these precious cells the day baby is born could safeguard their future for years to come.
For more information about the power of cord blood banking, download your FREE Welcome Pack below.
Sources
02/02/2024 BlogStem Cell NewsStem Cell Therapies
This month sees two important missions lifting-off into space, both of which will carry out pioneering stem cell research.
The first of these has already launched. On 18 January, Ax-3, the third mission by private company Axiom to be launched using Space X rockets, departed for the International Space Station. [1]
Aboard were four astronauts who over the course of two weeks will carry out a variety of experiments in microgravity.
Amongst them will be several significant ones relating to stem cells.
The Sanford Stem Cell Institute (SSCI) operating out of the University of California, San Diego will be paying close attention to the astronauts’ findings in relation to their investigation into tumour organoids. [2] [3]
By analysing the growth rates of cancer stem cells, SSCI hope to build on previous Axiom missions and shed light on how cancer develops in order to identify early warning signs.
Aboard the same mission, the National Stem Cell Foundation (NSCF) are seeking to utilise 3D brain models to help ascertain key onset markers of neurodegenerative diseases. [4]
NSCF Researchers hope that by analysing the effects of microgravity on the 3D models, which are derived from the induced pluripotent stem cells of patients with either Parkinson’s or primary progressive multiple sclerosis, they’ll be able to better understand how these diseases develop.
In this, the third Axiom mission of its kind, researchers hope to take advantage of the different rates at which stem cells develop in space to point out what the future of treatment looks like for some of the most harmful diseases on Earth.
The second significant space mission to launch this month will be on the 29 January.
This mission, which has as its main payload materials for the resupply of the International Space Station, will investigate how the absence of gravity plays a role in bone loss. [5]
A team from the Mayo Clinic in Florida will analyse the effect of gravity, or lack thereof, on mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow.
Their findings could end up having an impact on the course of clinical trials for a variety of conditions, such as osteoporosis, that take advantage of the powerful regenerative potential of these type of stem cells to regrow bone tissue.
This mission will be the first of two, with the next scheduled tentatively for the end of the year. This second flight should seek to investigate the effect of microgravity on different cell types that similarly occasion either bone formation or loss.
These experiments in space show the truly pioneering research taking place in the field and illustrate the huge potential these incredible cells have for humans on Earth now, and possibly in space in the near future.
Find out more about what stem cells can do by requesting your FREE Welcome Pack below.
Sources
[1] Ax-3 Mission Research. Axiom Space. https://www.axiomspace.com/missions/ax3/research
22/01/2024 BlogStem Cell NewsStem Cell Therapies
Although hair loss is common, it can have a huge impact on a person’s self-esteem and, subsequently, their physical and mental wellbeing.
New trials exploring the potential applications of stem cells in treating hair loss offer hope for those who are suffering both now and in the future.
The first phase of a clinical trial hoping to treat Multiple sclerosis (MS) with stem cells has yielded promising results.
The early-stage trial was conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge, along with scientists from the University of Milan Bicocca and La Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza hospital in Italy. [1]
22/01/2024 BlogEye ConditionsNewsStem Cell Therapies
Medical regulators in the UK have approved a gene-editing treatment involving bone marrow stem cells designed to cure two blood diseases, including sickle cell disease, in what is a world first.
The therapy, called Casgevy, has been given the green light by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to treat sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia, two painful blood conditions. [1]
Most people know what it’s like to feel sadness. But when feeling down persists for weeks, or even months, it can be a sign of a mental health condition, like depression. Although today people are well versed and more understanding of depression, some sufferers still find it difficult to find treatments. Could it be that cord blood therapy offers a new hope?
08/01/2024 BlogEye ConditionsNewsStem Cell Therapies
Amongst the most promising advancements in the field of regenerative medicine is the development of stem cell therapies. As undifferentiated cells, stem cells have the power to develop into specialised cells that can be used to repair and replace damaged tissues.
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