The Stem Cell Source : leukemia

Cord Blood Stem Cells Successfully Expanded and Used To Treat Patients

PublicAffairs — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:34:00 GMT

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have made a significant scientific breakthrough by expanding the number of newborn stem cells from a unit of cord blood in the laboratory and then successfully using them to treat patients with leukemia. The study, which appeared in the Jan.17th issue of Nature Medicine, is the first published report showing success using expanded cord blood stem cells in patients.

The researchers were able to achieve an average 164-fold increase of stem cells and concluded that treating patients with the expanded stem cells restored the blood and immune system more quickly that than those who received only the non-expanded stem cells.

In a Science Daily article, study author Colleen Delaney explains, "The real ground-breaking aspect of this research is that we have shown that you can manipulate stem/progenitor cells in the lab with the goal of increasing their numbers. When given to a person, these cells can rapidly give rise to white blood cells and other components of the blood system."

According to a BBC News report, scientists have been looking for ways to expand the number of cord blood stem cells in the laboratory so that there are enough cells from a single cord to meet the needs of an adult patient.

Click here to read the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center press release

Brandyn Orr Celebrates 10 Years Cancer-Free Thanks to Brother’s Cord Blood

PublicAffairs — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:18:00 GMT

Brandyn Orr was only two years old when he was first diagnosed with leukemia. Determined to do whatever it took to save his life, Brandyn’s family embarked on what would turn out to be an agonizing, three-year course of chemotherapy. Brandyn’s leukemia eventually went into remission, but just six months after completing chemotherapy, he relapsed. At age 6, Brandyn needed a cord blood stem cell transplant as soon as possible in order to survive.

Fast forward 10 years, and today Brandyn is a healthy 16-year-old, thanks in large part to a transplant of his younger brother Devyn’s cord blood stem cells. While doctors are exploring new uses of a child’s own stem cells to treat conditions such as traumatic brain injury, cord blood stem cells have already been used for more than 20 years to treat a number of conditions, including leukemia. In fact, one of the first uses of stem cells in medicine was to regenerate healthy blood and immune cells in cancer patients after they received chemotherapy. To date, several medical therapies using cord blood stem cells within the family have benefited nearly all biological siblings of the newborn, like Brandyn and Devyn.

Knowing that cord blood may be able to help Brandyn, his mother Susan had banked Devyn’s cord blood when he was born. Brandyn received his cord blood transplant 10 years ago this month and has been cancer-free ever since.

Susan and Brandyn recently told their story on Phoenix, Arizona’s Channel 3 News. “I highly recommend saving cord blood,” Brandyn says. “Just like it saved my life, it could save your child’s life.”

Cord Blood Banking: The “Ultimate Biological Recycling” of Life-Saving Stem Cells

PublicAffairs — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:53:00 GMT

When we think of recycling, it’s usually in terms of pizza boxes, soda cans and glass bottles, but RN Janine Henson has a different perspective. In a recent article posted at PregnancyToday.com, a popular education site for expectant moms, Henson describes cord blood banking as a form of biological recycling. “In this age of product recycling, it is exciting news that we now have the opportunity to recycle life-saving blood cells that have routinely been discarded with the placenta after childbirth,” Henson writes.

In the article, Henson provides a comprehensive overview of cord blood stem cells, including the collection and banking process, public and private banking options, and current and potential uses of cord blood stem cells—from leukemia and lymphoma to diabetes. For Hansen, the value of cord blood stem cells is clear, particularly for the thousands of Americans with life-threatening conditions who are unable to find bone marrow matches through the public donor system. “Umbilical cord blood collection and banking can make the difference in life or death for those awaiting stem cell transplants,” Henson writes.

Further Reading: The ABCs of Cord Blood Banking