Cord Blood: A Massive Waste of a Life-Saving Resource, a Perspective on Its Current and Potential Uses

摘要: Although allogeneic stem cell transplantation can cure patients with hematologic malignancies and nonmalignant disorders, limiting factors such as lack of suitable donors graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) toxicity have led to the exploration umbilical cord blood (UCB) an alternative source hematopoietic cells. The unique immunologic properties UCB likely contribute a decreased risk GVHD. Thus, represents highly convenient (HSC) that may significantly expand HSC donor pool. Cord cells appear confer significant advantages over adult cells, including ease procurement, less requirement for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching, fever side effects after use in transplant. Because these characteristics, is now fastest growing transplantation.