Cord blood stem cells and regenerative medicine

Umbilical cord blood (CB) can provide a virtually unlimited source of diverse stem cells that can be used for hematologic transplants as well as in a variety of regenerative medicine applications. Cord blood units can be frozen and preserved in liquid nitrogen dewars for prolonged periods of time, having been frozen in time at the peak of their biological activity. Multipotent stem cells are available in large numbers in both umbilical cord blood (CB) and cord tissue (CT). CB stem cells are capable of giving rise to hematopoietic, epithelial, endothelial, and neural tissues both in vitro and in vivo. CT stem cells are capable of giving rise to various mesenchymal lineages, including bone, cartilage, and fat. Thus, CB and CT stem cells are candidates to develop stem-cell-based therapies for a wide variety of diseases, including cardiovascular, ophthalmic, orthopedic, neurological, and endocrine diseases. CB and CT have now been used in several regenerative medicine clinical studies, examples of which include cerebral palsy and non-healing bone fractures. CB and CT represent an invaluable source of stem cells that have both immediate and future applications for the individual donor.