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National Aplastic Anemia and MDS Awareness Week
Sunday, December 5th, 2010
Bone marrow failure disorders affect hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world, from children to adults. National Aplastic Anemia and MDS (myelodysplastic syndromes) Awareness Week (December 1-7) is helping to spread the word about two of these disorders. It is also an opportunity to shed light the role cord blood can play in helping to treating these potentially life-threatening diseases.
Why bone marrow matters
Bone marrow makes red and white blood cells and platelets that are vital to our existence. Each has a specific function—red blood cells carry oxygen and nutrients throughout the body; white blood cells help our bodies fight infection; and platelets help the blood clot and stop bleeding.
Categories: Current Treatments, Transplants and Infusions
Clinical Trials Offer Hope for Families Affected by Cerebral Palsy and Diabetes
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
Today, cord blood stem cells can be used to treat nearly 80 life-threatening diseases and are offering new hope to families affected by conditions that only years ago had no stem cell treatment options. A couple of the most exciting possibilities of cord blood stem cells lies in clinical trials now being conducted to determine whether a child’s own cord blood stem cells may be used to treat cerebral palsy and Type 1 Diabetes.
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is a general term used to describe a group of neurological disorders that appear in early childhood and permanently affect muscle coordination and body movement. It is most often caused by brain injury or
Categories: Emerging Treatments, Transplants and Infusions, Trends in Healthcare
Finding a Match – Knowing the Difference between Related and Non-related Stem Cells
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Stem cells have been used in transplant medicine with much success for the last 40 years. Since 1988, stem cells from umbilical cord blood have played a critical role in that success. Growing numbers of expectant parents are donating children’s cord blood or enrolling in family banking, based on the profound potential in cord blood stem cells.
In the event those stem cells are needed for allogeneic transplant, a successful outcome is largely dependent on finding a compatible match from a donor who can be related, like a sibling, or of no relation at all. When a patient is in need the determination of who the donor will be is based on tissue matching. Understanding the basics of tissue matching is key to making an informed decision about what to do with your baby’s cord blood.
Categories: Cord Blood 101, Transplants and Infusions
Cord Blood Treatments – Autologous Transplants & Infusions
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
In a recent blog post, we discussed allogeneic transplants and how they can be used to help treat a number of diseases. But did you know that autologous treatments, using a child’s own cord blood, can also help treat some of those same diseases, and are also on the forefront of a new and exciting area of research?
There are multiple applications for autologous treatments:
* In an autologous transplant a child’s own cord blood stem cells are transplanted back into that child to help treat some cancers, such as neuroblastoma and brain cancer. Autologous transplants require a pre-transplant conditioning regimen like alleogeneic transplants. They can also be used to treat acquired blood disorders, as opposed to blood disorders that are genetic. For example, complications from an organ transplant may result in acquired aplastic anemia. The child’s own cord blood could then be used to treat the acquired condition.
* In an autologous re-infusion a child’s own cord blood stem cells are re-infused into that child to help repair and re-grow cells that may be damaged. This emerging field of medicine is directed at treatments…
Categories: Cord Blood 101, Emerging Treatments, Transplants and Infusions
Cord Blood Treatments – Allogeneic Transplants
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
From online pregnancy forums to feedback from customers and expecting moms, one thing is clear to us—the topic of cord blood can be confusing. With so much information available (and some of it conflicting), it can be hard for families to get the facts they need to make an informed choice about banking their baby’s cord blood. Today, we’re shedding some light on one commonly misunderstood topic—how cord blood is used in a stem cell treatment.
To start, there are two primary types of stem cell treatments:
- Allogeneic transplants, which occur when the patient receives stem cells from an unrelated or related (family member) donor.
- Autologous transplants and infusions, which use the patient’s own stem cells for treatment.
Today’s post focuses on allogeneic transplants and how siblings can play an important role. As parents we often think of hushing late night conversations, fights over toys and the inevitable “he hit me first!” squabbles when we think about siblings. But when it comes to allogeneic transplants, a sibling can go from a rival to a savior.
Categories: Cord Blood 101, Transplants and Infusions