It is recommended to preserve both to increase therapeutic possibilities.

Cord blood contains valuable hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that can be used to treat a variety of diseases and conditions, including blood disorders, immune system disorders and certain cancers. The main use to date has been in the treatment of blood and bone marrow disorders including malignant diseases such as leukaemia and non-malignant conditions such as sickle cell disease. These stem cells are collected immediately after birth and stored in a special facility for potential future use.

There are over 85 conditions where a cord blood stem cell transplant can be used, including:

• Blood cancers e.g. Leukaemia & Lymphoma
• Blood disorders e.g. Sickle Cell Disease & Thalassemia
• Metabolic disorders e.g. Krabbe Disease
• Immune conditions e.g. Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID)
• Solid tumours e.g. Neuroblastoma or Retinoblastoma

Cord tissue refers to the connective tissue and so-called “Wharton’s jelly” that surrounds the blood vessels in the umbilical cord. It contains a type of stem cell, called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs are also found in the cord blood but they are particularly numerous within the Wharton’s jelly. These cells have the potential to become a variety of different cell types, including bone, cartilage and muscle cells meaning they can be used to treat or regenerate diseased or injured tissue. More importantly, it has been shown that they can assist with the body’s healing process at the site of damage as they possess anti-inflammatory abilities and can also damp down over active immune responses.

Here are some examples of the many conditions where cord tissue stem cells are currently being used in clinical trials:

• Lupus
• Diabetes
• Covid-19
• Chronic autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease & Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sports injuries e.g. cartilage, ligament and bone repair
• Osteoarthritis
• Cardiovascular disease
• Liver disease
• Skin injuries e.g. burn treatments, wound treatments and skin grafts
• Spinal cord injury
• Traumatic brain injury
• Stroke
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
• Eye treatments
• Autism