Lifesaving power in stem cells
The media has mentioned stem cell therapy lately because some companies are accused of unproven treatment and unfortunately harm people. On the other hand, there are many companies that are doing real science and applying the medicine in the greatest way possible.
Indeed, medical practitioners keep the umbilical cord after a live, healthy birth. The umbilical cord is a robust and plentiful source for stem cells that can be used for treatment of many conditions.
Moreover, cord blood transplants can be used to regenerate a patient’s immune system. Blood from a sister or brother is probably a more than suitable match for a transplant.
In addition, Medical practitioners have used Banked cord blood cells in over 40,000 transplants worldwide to treat genetic disorders, malignant and not.
Furthermore, Dr. Hal Broxmeyer, a distinguished professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, can provide further insights regarding stem cell therapy. He was quoted saying: cord blood is easier to collect than bone marrow, generates less life-threatening graft-versus-host disease, and can be used with “less stringent HLA-matching.”
However, mobilized peripheral blood (collected from the bloodstream) engrafts faster than bone marrow, which engrafts faster than cord blood. Many researchers now investigate ways “to accelerate the engraftment of cord blood cells,” as he does.
Finally, he himself has been a cancer patient and can provide a particular testimonial on this medicine. “If anything,” he tells me, “I have been more focused and worked harder since the diagnosis.”