Cord Blood Developments

2020 has undoubtedly been a year of unpredictability. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical community has shifted its sight on finding innovative treatment options for emerging conditions. Additionally, umbilical stem cells are being utilized in other clinical and therapeutic applications for conditions such as spinal cord injury, autism, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, and osteoarthritis. As medical science unveils the largely untapped potential of cord blood and cord tissue stem cells, we predict to see an increase in the need for expectant parents to store these valuable stem cells.

As we stand on the precipice of a more virtual and socially-distanced future, we want to ensure that expectant parents feel connected with cord blood banking. July marks Cord Blood Awareness Month, a month to recognize the significance of cord blood stem cells and the potential life-saving capability these cells possess. Our team at Cryo-Cell, and our partnering healthcare providers abroad, are committed to helping parents understand the possibilities that lie within umbilical stem cell preservation.

Since its establishment of the first private cord blood bank in the United States, Cryo-Cell has long been a leader in the industry of umbilical stem cell preservation. More than thirty years later, our mission remains the same: to provide our clients with the premier cord blood and cord tissue cryopreservation service and to aid in the advancement of regenerative medicine. As we celebrate this month, we wanted to share the exciting news of a partnership with Duke University Medical Center and its impact on our families.

Besides mesenchymal stem cells being explored in the fight against pneumonia induced by COVID-19, there are numerous other current applications of MSCs in clinical trials. Mesenchymal stem cells are a choice candidate in studies targeting degenerative conditions for their ability to restore skeletal tissue and to differentiate into other cell types. Let’s take a brief look at the most current applications of mesenchymal stem cells being used in clinical trials.

With the sudden outbreak of coronavirus, pregnant women have become concerned about how COVID-19 will affect them. As the race to find a fast and effective treatment option continues, many are seeking a solution in cellular therapy. Research in the clinical trial setting is pointing to the fact that the mesenchymal stem cells found in cord tissue may be used to treat patients infected with the virus. With this possibility, the decision to preserve umbilical stem cells becomes even more critical as cellular therapies begin to emerge for various conditions.
 

Among the different types of stem cells that cord blood contains, natural killer (NK) cells exhibit unique properties capable of targeting cancer cells and virus-infected cells. With the sudden outbreak of viruses such as COVID-19, otherwise known as coronavirus, there becomes an even greater need to seek “off-the-shelf” treatments that are quickly accessible to patients. Clinical studies are looking at umbilical cord stem cells as a possible method of treatment.

In the spirit of retrospection, as we have entered a new decade, we wanted to pay homage to the advancements this past decade has seen in regards to cord blood and cord tissue research. The past ten years have yielded a tremendous amount of research in what is possible in the way of regenerative treatments in several conditions that were otherwise thought of as untreatable through the use of umbilical cord blood and cord tissue stem cells.

Mary Webb was joined by her children, Quentin (16) and Jory (11), to speak at Cryo-Cell's Cord Blood Educator Conference this year. At the age of four, Quentin was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Quentin is one of the 3,000 children diagnosed with ALL each year in the United States. She shared her impactful story of dealing with her son’s cancer diagnosis and how, now, she is a strong proponent of umbilical cord stem cells. 

November 15^th was World Cord Blood Day (WCBD), a day organized and hosted by Save the Cord Foundation to promote awareness and education on the topic of cord blood. The day’s presentations centered around sharing new research advancements and the incredible life-saving potential of cord blood stem cells. Don’t fret if you missed the events of the day-- we’re here to provide you with the highlights from the keynote researchers!

This past October, Cryo-Cell’s passionate team of cord blood educators met with Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, from Duke University Medical Center, to hear about the latest developments in clinical trials using cord blood and cord tissue. Her presentation was centered around recent advancements in stem cell expansion, her work in recent clinical trials, and she also shared successful umbilical cord transplant stories of former patients.