Cord blood contains HSC. These proliferative cells are fewer in number than can be obtained from bone marrow or peripheral blood HSC donation, but they have greater proliferative and colony forming capacity, and are more responsive to some growth factors. In the future, cord blood might be a useful source of stem cells other than hemopoietic precursors.
Reports suggest that not only are mesenchymal and neural precursor cells present but that some cord blood cells, present in extremely low frequency, may have the capacity to develop into many different lineages like cartilage, fat cells, hepatic and cardiac cells. Sources of cord blood for storage: Non-directed donations: For those patients who need a bone marrow transplant with no suitable family member or unrelated bone marrow donor, cord blood banks have been set up alongside registries of bone marrow donors to facilitate matching.…
