Stem Cell Advisor

Stem cells  are the basis of bone marrow transplants, a technique used to treat diseases such as leukaemia for many decades. Since the first stem cell transplant in 1988 much attention has been focused on stem cell therapy and its potential applications . Stem cells are “naïve” cells – capable with the right stimuli to transform into other cells types found in the human body e.g. liver, skin, red blood cells. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are one of the most primitive types of cells in the body. Created during the earliest phases of development they have the potential, given the right stimuli, to become specialised cells such as red or white blood cells. It is these properties and the fact that the umbilical cord is a rich source of stem cells that has prompted private companies to offer frozen storage of these cells from umbilical cord blood collected at birth. The umbilical cord bloods are stored by freezing the cells in liquid nitrogen, which allows preservation o...