Cord-blood-cell transplantation - a real sleeper?

Article Abstract:

The successful use of umbilical cord blood to transplant stem cells has raised questions about the use of this procedure. Stem cells are the blood cells from which most other blood cells are derived. Stem cell transplants have been used to treat certain cancers such as leukemia, immune deficiencies and other immune disorders such as lupus erythematosus. In 1995, researchers used a cord blood transplant to cure a young girl with thalassemia. More than 50 patients worldwide have received cord blood transplants and most of the treatments were successful. However, most of the patients were children and it is not known whether the small number of stem cells present in cord blood will reconstitute an adult's immune system. It may be prudent to wait until more adults have been successfully treated before we begin setting up cord blood banks and routinely freezing all newborn cord blood for future use.

Innovations

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Brief report: transplantation of cord-blood stem cells into a patient with severe thalassemia

Article Abstract:

A two-and-a-half year old girl was cured of severe beta thalassemia with an umbilical cord blood transplant from her newborn brother. Beta thalassemia is a form of anemia that results when the body does not synthesize enough beta hemoglobin. She was first diagnosed when she was six months old. When her mother became pregnant, blood tests revealed that the fetus did not have the beta thalassemia defect. His HLA blood type was also identical to his sister's. At his birth, a sample of umbilical cord blood was taken, processed and transfused into his sister. She eventually recovered, and showed no sign of graft-versus-host disease, a common complication of bone marrow transplants. Umbilical cord blood is a good source of stem cells, which are the precursor of many different blood cells.

Care and treatment, Evaluation, Blood transfusion, Thalassemia

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Placental-blood banking - a new frontier in transfusion medicine

Article Abstract:

The use of placental blood as a source of stem cells for transplantation is an exciting development that raises some ethical concerns. Most patients with blood disorders have received bone marrow transplants in the past, but it is hard to find a compatible donor. Placental blood is a rich source of stem cells, which are immature blood cells. They have been transplanted into approximately 200 patients so far. Two 1996 studies have shown these transplants to be very effective in children and adults. However, a newborn infant cannot give consent to donate blood and the blood should be tested for infectious agents, genetic disorders and drugs.

Ethical aspects

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