New Life with Stem Cells 

        Cord blood stem cell transplants have already changed—and saved—thousands of lives around the world. They have already been used to treat more than 75 diseases, including numerous types of malignancies, anemia's, inherited metabolic disorders and deficiencies of the immune system.

        A stem cell is a remarkable cell, as it has the amazing ability to change into a variety of different cell types in the body such as heart muscle cells, brain cells, and skin cells. Stem cells, which are often referred to as one of the body's "master cells," can grow into any one of the body's more than 200 cell types.  Stem cells assist the body in maintaining, renewing and repairing tissue and cells damaged by disease, injury and everyday life. . They have already been used to treat more than 75 diseases. If you think about it, stem cells act as the internal repair system for the body. The magic begins when a stem cell divides. Each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.  Stem cells also have the capability to self-renew, meaning they can reproduce themselves many times over.

         Stem cells can create additional cells and may later be transplanted or used for a variety of medical procedures. This is why stem cells are collected and stored.

Different Types of Stem Cells

        Umbilical cord blood and bone marrow are two sources of stem cells that may sound familiar to people. Both umbilical cord blood and bone marrow contain a type of adult stem cell. Adult stem cells, which come from the tissue of live human beings, are currently the only type of stem cell commonly used to treat human diseases. Now, with cord blood banking, stem cells can be properly preserved if and when they are ever needed. Read about other sources of adult stem cells.

        Embryonic stem cells come from human embryos that are a few days old. Cells from these embryos can be used to create stem cell "lines"- cell cultures that can be grown indefinitely in the laboratory. Embryonic stem cell research can sometimes be considered controversial. Unlike adult stem cells (such as those from umbilical cord blood); embryonic stem cells are not currently used as treatment options for people.

Bone Marrow

        The bone marrow is a soft, spongy tissue found inside the bones. The bone marrow in the hips, breast bone, spine, ribs, and skull contain cells that produce the body's blood cells. The bone marrow is responsible for the development and storage of most of the body's blood cells. The three main types of blood cells produced in the bone marrow include:

• red blood cells (erythrocytes) - carry oxygen to the tissues in the body.
• white blood cells (leukocytes) - help fight infections and to aid in the immune system.
• platelets - help with blood clotting.

Each of these cells carries a life-maintaining function. The bone marrow is a vital part of the human body.

What are stem cells?

        Every type of blood cell in the bone marrow begins as a stem cell. Stem cells are immature cells that are able to produce other blood cells that mature and function as needed.

        Stem cells are the most important cells needed in a bone marrow transplant. Stem cells, when transplanted, find their way to the recipient's marrow and begin to differentiate and produce all types of blood cells that are needed by the body. There is test for bone marrow. It's called as "Bone Marrow Biopsy and Aspiration." Let's see the Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration test.

Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration

        Bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow aspiration are procedures to collect and examine bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside some of your larger bones. Bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow aspiration can show whether your bone marrow is healthy and making normal amounts of blood cells. Doctors use bone marrow biopsy and aspiration to diagnose and monitor blood and marrow diseases, including some cancers.

        Why it’s done?  Bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow aspiration offer detailed information about the condition of your bone marrow and blood cells. Your doctor may order a bone marrow exam if blood tests, such as cell counts, are abnormal or don't provide enough information about a suspected problem. Examining bone marrow gives a detailed picture of the types, amount and condition of forming blood cells.

Your doctor may perform a bone marrow exam to:

• ·         Diagnose a disease or condition involving the bone marrow or blood cells
• ·         Determine the stage or progression of a disease
• ·         Check iron levels and metabolism
• ·         Monitor treatment of a disease

Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration may be used for many conditions. These include:

• ·         Anemia
• ·         Bone marrow disorders, such as myelodysplastic syndrome and myelofibrosis
• ·         Blood cell conditions in which too few or too many of certain types of blood cells are produced,   such as leukopenia, leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia, thrombocytosis, pancytopenia and polycythemia
• ·         Cancers of the blood or bone marrow, including leukemias, lymphomas and multiple myeloma
• ·         Cancers that have spread from another area, such as breast, into the bone marrow
• ·         Hemochromatosis
• ·         Infections

        A bone marrow biopsy and a bone marrow aspiration offer different, but complementary, information about your bone marrow cells. The two procedures are most often performed together. In some cases, you may need only an aspiration.

        Bone marrow has a fluid portion and a more solid portion. In bone marrow aspiration, your doctor uses a needle to withdraw a sample of the fluid portion. In a bone marrow biopsy, a larger needle is used to take a sample of the solid part.

        Bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow aspiration are often done at the same time. Together, bone marrow biopsy and aspiration may be called a bone marrow exam.

Risks Bone marrow exams are safe procedures. Complications are rare but can include:

• ·          Excessive bleeding, particularly in people with a low platelet count
• ·         Infection, especially in people with weakened immune systems
• ·         Long-lasting discomfort at the biopsy site
• ·         Penetration of the breastbone (sternum) during sternal aspirations, which can cause heart or lung problems
• ·         Complications related to sedation, such as an allergic reaction, nausea or irregular heartbeats

Umbilical Cord Blood Cells

        After delivery, the umbilical cord is detached from the new-born baby. The blood left in this cord has hematopoietic (blood) stem cells, which can be used for treating many diseases. The collection process is very easy and painless, with no harm to the child or the mother. These cells are very rare; they are also found in bone marrow. The hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have the ability to make red cells, white cells and platelets in the blood. For the past many years, these cells from bone marrow are used for curing blood diseases.

        With Cryobanks India, more and more expectant parents are now looking forward to saving their baby’s cord blood. Latest technologies are used for storing the blood cells safely for future use. In comparison to bone marrow cells, there are many benefits of cord blood banking. They are easy to collect and store, and are readily available for treatments. Even the problems of Graft versus Host Disease are less with cord blood cells. People can use them against cancerous blood disorders or other genetic diseases. In stem cell therapy, the patient is injected with these blood cells. They start to regenerate new cells while replacing the withered cells in the body. The recovery process might take some time, but the results are long-lasting.

        However, there are certain limitations too. With cord blood cells, treatments on non-blood-related diseases are not done till date. Many researchers are looking out for solutions by doing different experiments. Another limitation is that a single cord blood does not have as many hematopoietic cells as found in bone marrow. Thus, treating an adult patient with cord blood becomes difficult as they require more HSCs. Therefore, different researches are being done for solving this issue. In many laboratories, focus is given in increasing the total count of HSCs by multiplying the cells. Researchers believe that in the future, the use of umbilical cord blood stem cells is going to increase as its potential is very high.

Stem cell banking: Rapid increase in popularity

         Stem cell banking is becoming popular day by day, as people are discovering the power of cells against various diseases. These cells are found in the cord blood that remains in the placenta and in the attached umbilical cord. After the child takes birth, the cord is detached from the newborn as it contains the stem cells. It is saved with proper medication. This facility of storing the cords safely is provided by stem cell banks.

        The cord blood contains all the elements of blood: white blood cells, platelets, red blood cells and plasma as well as hematopoietic cells. Genetic disorders can be cured by these hematopoietic cells. Stem cells have the ability to renew themselves into specific cells through mitotic cell division as per the requirement of the body. Banking cells is a simple, safe and painless procedure in which the cord blood is collected and is then transferred to the laboratory. For long-term preservation, it is stored frozen in cryogenic storage tanks. Storing your baby’s stem cells is like a lifelong investment towards his/her healthy future as well as for the family’s future. This is because not only the child gets benefits, the family member having the same blood group can also use same cells. Families that have hereditary diseases must opt for bank stem cells.

        These banks are expensive as they provide a high-quality service. The price rate varies from one bank to the other. So before choosing any one of them, you can compare the rates. Nowadays, for long-term preservation, the umbilical cord is also stored. Some current therapies like bone marrow transplantation are already using stem cells. Stem cell banking gives the assurance of an advanced cord blood repository with an excellent storage conditions for providing precious stem cells. They keep the samples safe and always take proper steps to ensure quality.