FEATURE STEM CELL RESEARCH
Main adult stem cell processing laboratory in Neil, Belgium. Images © Cryo-Save
published clinical data using cord blood as a source of stem cells for hematopoietic stem cell transplants, led to the establishment of both private and public cord blood banks and the optimization of UCB collection, processing and storage. The past 23 years of umbilical cord blood transplantation has demonstrated that: Cord blood can be obtained with ease and with no risk to mother or child Cord blood can be successfully cryopreserved without loss of viability or functionality Cord blood, when compared to other sources of stem cells, allows for greater HLA mismatch without corresponding increase in graft-versus-host disease. Cord blood stem cells when compared to other adult stem cells, are enriched with the most primitive stem cells, have longer telomere length, higher proliferative and differentiation potential
and thus advantages over other sources of adult stem cells. Cord blood is effective for treatment of numerous hematological diseases, including hematological malignancies, bone marrow failure, hemoglobinopathies and inborn errors of metabolism. Today over 20 000 cord blood hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) have been performed worldwide for numerous diseases. Although cord blood was once viewed as an alternative source of stem cells for HSCT’s, it has now gained acceptance among transplant physicians and is often considered as a first-line treatment. In fact, in the paediatric setting in the USA, cord blood is the most frequently used source of stem cells for HSCT’s, as seen in figure 1. The National Marrow Donor Program
«The first successful recorded and published umbilical cord stem cell transplant was performed in France in 1988»
believe that this will continue to increase exponentially and forecast that there will be over 10 000 cord blood transplants per year by 2015. One of the limitations of cord
blood is the amount of blood in the umbilical cord and thus the limited amount of these therapeutical stem cells obtained. The stem cell dose required is determined by the patient’s body weight and an average cord blood collection is thus often not enough to treat an adult for the traditional hematopoietic indications. Following on the success of treatment using cord blood in paediatrics, the area of research to overcome this cell dose limitation has been extremely active with numerous researchers, biotechnology companies, university hospitals and institutes actively pursuing pre-clinical and clinical work to overcome the issue of cell dose by looking at numerous strategies, including amplification of the stem cells, double cord blood transplants, co- transfusion with other stem cells and direct route of administration of stem cells i.e. intra-osseous.
Arab Health Issue 4 2011 37
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64