What Is Cord Blood?
How Is It Stored and Which Diseases Is It Used For?
Cord blood is a biological material that has gained increasing importance in the field of health in recent years and has the potential to be used in the treatment of many diseases. This blood, collected at birth, can be life-saving for both the baby and potentially family members. So, what is cord blood, which diseases is it used for, and how is it stored?
Cord blood is the blood collected from the placenta after it is separated from the baby at birth. The placenta is a structure that enables the exchange of nutrients and oxygen between the mother and the baby. The part extending from the placenta to the mother and supporting the baby’s vital functions is called the umbilical cord. Inside the cord, there are two arteries and one vein. The blood inside these vessels is called cord blood. Thanks to the stem cells it contains, cord blood has the potential to be used in the treatment of many diseases.
Cord blood contains two different types of stem cells:
Contents and Importance of Cord Blood
Hematopoietic Stem Cells: These cells have the ability to form all blood cells and can be used in many treatment processes such as bone marrow transplantation.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells: These cells have the ability to differentiate into fat, cartilage, heart, bone, and nerve cells. Thanks to these properties, cord blood may be used in the treatment of many diseases in the future.
Storage of Cord Blood and Cord Blood Banking
Cord blood is stored under special conditions after being collected at birth. Cord blood banking is a system that allows this blood to be preserved for many years while maintaining its properties. After cord blood was successfully transplanted for the first time in 1988 to a child with Fanconi anemia, it was accepted worldwide as an important source of stem cells. Today, more than 900,000 cord blood units are stored in over 100 cord blood banks worldwide.
Which Diseases Is Cord Blood Used For?
Cord blood has been successfully used in the treatment of various diseases for more than 30 years. It is especially preferred in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Diseases treated with cord blood include:
Malignant Blood Diseases: In cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, cord blood stem cells replace the patient’s bone marrow and enable the regeneration of blood cells.
Inherited Diseases: It is used especially in the treatment of diseases such as thalassemia (Mediterranean anemia).
Certain Childhood Cancers: In childhood cancers such as neuroblastoma, it is used as supportive therapy alongside high-dose chemotherapy.
In recent years, the potential use of cord blood in regenerative medicine has also been investigated. Clinical studies are ongoing in a wide range of areas such as neurological diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, liver diseases, and autoimmune disorders.
How Is Cord Blood Stored?
Cord blood is collected under sterile conditions during delivery by an obstetrics and gynecology specialist. The collected blood is delivered to a cord blood bank within 48 hours and processed in special laboratories. The main goal is to purify the stem cells in cord blood and preserve their structure for long-term storage. Cord blood is stored frozen in liquid nitrogen at −196°C. Scientific studies show that cord blood can retain its properties for at least 15 years. Theoretically, under these conditions, cord blood can be stored indefinitely.
Cord Blood Storage Process
The cord blood storage process takes place in three stages:
Collection: During delivery, within 1–2 minutes after the baby is delivered, cord blood is collected with a sterile needle. This procedure is completely painless for both the mother and the baby.
Processing: The collected cord blood is delivered to the bank within a maximum of 48 hours, where stem cells are separated and purified.
Storage: The purified stem cells are frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen. During the storage process, it is very important that the cells are not exposed to warming and that their structure is preserved.
How Long Is Cord Blood Stored?
When stored under appropriate conditions, cord blood can retain its properties for 15 years or longer. However, theoretically, it can be stored indefinitely in liquid nitrogen at −196°C. The most important point during storage is preventing temporary warming of the cells. When new cord blood samples are added to tanks, a rapid increase in ambient temperature may negatively affect other stored samples. However, thanks to technologies developed over the last 10 years, these negative effects have been minimized.
Who Should Perform Cord Blood Storage?
In Turkey, cord blood banking is an area regulated by the Ministry of Health. Families who wish to store cord blood should choose centers approved by the ministry and subject to annual inspections. Centers that are experienced and use up-to-date storage technologies ensure the safe long-term preservation of cord blood.
Cord blood is an important biological resource with great potential in stem cell therapies and can be used in the treatment of many diseases. Cord blood collected and stored under proper conditions can be used years later when needed. Therefore, it is important for families considering cord blood storage to plan this process carefully and work with a reliable cord blood bank. In the future, cord blood is expected to be used in a wider range of treatments. For this reason, storing cord blood is considered a valuable investment in both individual and public health.