Umbilical Cord Stem Cells (UCSCs)

April 2010
Written by Erica Brown and Stacey Herzer

Stem cells derived from the umbilical cord consist mostly (about 90%) of hematopoeitic stem cells. They are multipotent. Because of their plentiful source of blood forming stem cells, umbilical cord stem cells can be a useful source of blood stem cells for people with leukemia, lymphoma or other blood disorders (1).  Umbilical cord stem cells have several advantages over adult stem cells.  They are can be obtained faster than bone marrow in emergency situations, and have not yet developed proteins that can be recognized as foreign by the body’s immune system and therefore are better tolerated by the recipient; even if the donor and recipient are not perfect matches (2).  However, one disadvantage is that the total number of stem cells derived from cord blood is fewer than from adult bone marrow.  In Canada there are two public cord blood banks: Alberta Public Cord Blood Bank and Hema-Quebec.    

If you are interested in more information on stem cells, please see the following:

References:

  1. Gibbs, N. Stem Cells: The hope and the hype. Time. Jul 30, 2006.
  2. Wagner JE, Laughlin M, Petz L. Seventh annual international umbilical cord blood transplantation symposium, Los Angeles, California, june 5-6, 2009. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2009