Are Cord Blood Stem Cells the Answer to Cancer?
According to a report by KMBZ on April 10, 2015, 12 year old Jenna Gibson is now celebrating a cancer free life, after she was diagnosed with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia when she was 9 years old. After the rigorous chemotherapy ate away her body’s immune system, traditional bone marrow treatments also failed. The family lost all hope until the doctors suggested transplant and therapy using umbilical cord blood stem cells. This is what eventually saved the girl’s life.
Leukemia and other types of cancers affect millions of people around the world each year. With the statistics increasing in alarming proportions, researchers have been trying to find a possible cure for the last 70 years. Currently, it seems that an answer has been found using cord blood cells, and research is under way for developing effective cancer therapies with these cells.
Cord Blood Therapy for Cancer
Umbilical cord blood stem cells are being used to treat certain cancers with the help of cord blood transplants. This therapy involves stem cells transplantation into the bone marrow of the patient, which then helps regenerate blood. It is a vital, and often lifesaving, treatment, since chemotherapy and radiation destroy healthy cells, apart from destroying the malignant cells and cancerous tissues. Cord blood helps replenish these cells.
Stem Cell Transplants for Treating Cancer
During chemotherapy and radiation, even the stem cells that are present in the bone marrow are destroyed (apart from cancerous cells and other healthy cells). So, the body has no way of restoring the blood and tissue. This is where cord blood is used. When the doctors feel that the cancerous tissues have been destroyed, they begin cell therapy.
Cord blood is injected into a vein (similar to blood transfusion) or deposited directly into the bone marrow. Once these cells settle down in the bone marrow, they begin to regenerate blood. This process is called engraftment.
Why is Cord Blood Therapy an Effective Treatment?
Blood drawn from the cord of newborn babies contain umbilical cord blood stem cells, which are a fairly new source of stem cells. A small volume of this blood has a high count of stem cells that can multiply quickly. Additionally, their “immature” nature decreases the risk of rejection by the host. Cord blood cells produce their own immune cells, which helps destroy small deposits of cancerous cells that might remain after preliminary treatments. It is said that the molecular basis of stem cell therapy will help develop similar therapies, thereby allowing cancerous tissues to receive stem cells therapy that can replenish the damaged tissue.
According to a report by KMBZ on April 10, 2015, 12 year old Jenna Gibson is now celebrating a cancer free life, after she was diagnosed with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia when she was 9 years old. After the rigorous chemotherapy ate away her body’s immune system, traditional bone marrow treatments also failed. The family lost all hope until the doctors suggested transplant and therapy using umbilical cord blood stem cells. This is what eventually saved the girl’s life.
Leukemia and other types of cancers affect millions of people around the world each year. With the statistics increasing in alarming proportions, researchers have been trying to find a possible cure for the last 70 years. Currently, it seems that an answer has been found using cord blood cells, and research is under way for developing effective cancer therapies with these cells.
Cord Blood Therapy for Cancer
Umbilical cord blood stem cells are being used to treat certain cancers with the help of cord blood transplants. This therapy involves stem cells transplantation into the bone marrow of the patient, which then helps regenerate blood. It is a vital, and often lifesaving, treatment, since chemotherapy and radiation destroy healthy cells, apart from destroying the malignant cells and cancerous tissues. Cord blood helps replenish these cells.
Stem Cell Transplants for Treating Cancer
During chemotherapy and radiation, even the stem cells that are present in the bone marrow are destroyed (apart from cancerous cells and other healthy cells). So, the body has no way of restoring the blood and tissue. This is where cord blood is used. When the doctors feel that the cancerous tissues have been destroyed, they begin cell therapy.
Cord blood is injected into a vein (similar to blood transfusion) or deposited directly into the bone marrow. Once these cells settle down in the bone marrow, they begin to regenerate blood. This process is called engraftment.
Why is Cord Blood Therapy an Effective Treatment?
Blood drawn from the cord of newborn babies contain umbilical cord blood stem cells, which are a fairly new source of stem cells. A small volume of this blood has a high count of stem cells that can multiply quickly. Additionally, their “immature” nature decreases the risk of rejection by the host. Cord blood cells produce their own immune cells, which helps destroy small deposits of cancerous cells that might remain after preliminary treatments. It is said that the molecular basis of stem cell therapy will help develop similar therapies, thereby allowing cancerous tissues to receive stem cells therapy that can replenish the damaged tissue.
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