DOI:
VOLUME-5, ISSUE-9
SaiKrishna.G*1, Lakshmi Bharathi.Ch1, Saathvika.T1, Komal Krishna.T2
JSS college of Pharmacy, Mysuru-570015, Karnataka, India.
ABSTRACT
The sample of blood taken from a newborn babys umbilical cord is called cord blood. It is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells, which are precursors to blood cells. These cells have been used to treat certain diseases of the blood and immune system. It is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after delivery of the new born. Cord blood contains all the normal elements of blood i.e, RBC, WBC, Platelets and Plasma. It is also rich in hematopoietic stem cells, similar to those found in bone marrow. Collection of the cord blood can only be done immediately after birth of a child, usually within ten minutes of giving birth. Cord blood has been used in the treatment of more than 80 diseases so far, amongst which leukemia has been the most common disease category.Generally, it is the umbilical cord and blood that are usually discarded after the birthing process. These useful biological materials that are uniquely capable of curing many diseases are simply treated like trash. However, apart from blood disorders, the cord blood and it`s use for other diseases is not a routine procedure that is opted and remains a major challenge for the stem cell community.
Keywords: Cord blood, Leukemia, Transplantation, bone marrow, stem cells