Did you know that not only can you store umbilical cord blood, but you can store the umbilical tissue too?
Umbilical cord tissue contains stem cells not found in the cord blood and this blog aims to explain why storing these can be hugely beneficial.
Read on to find out more.
What Is Cord Tissue?
This might sound obvious, but it is worth giving you a detailed answer, so you have all the facts.
The cord tissue is the umbilical cord itself. The tissue and the insulating material (called Wharton’s Jelly) contain even more potentially life-changing stem cells than just the cord blood alone.
How is it collected?
After the placenta has been delivered and the cord cut, similar to how cord blood is collected, the cord will be taken into a separate room to be collected.
Sections of the undamaged cord are cut and placed into containers filled with a saline solution. These are then cryo-preserved.
What can Cord Tissue Stem Cells treat?
The cord contains MSC (Mesenchymal Stem Cells) similar to those in the cord blood, however, here is the interesting part. There are cells unique to the tissue.
The tissue-specific cells are…
- Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVESCs) – are used in vascular biology research for things like blood clotting and angiogenesis.
- Epithelial Cord Lining Stem Cells (CLSCs) – proven to be effective in treating difficult-to-heal wounds and demonstrate success in regenerative treatments.
- Human Umbilical Cord Perivascular Cells (HUCPVCs) – are currently being studied for their potential in bone formation and dermal tissue engineering.
There are currently dozens of clinical trials and investigative studies that are finding promising results using these stem cells for treatment.
How do I store cord tissue?
The same way you would store cord blood. Contact us and pick a package that suits you that includes umbilical cord tissue.
You will be provided with the kit that you can put in your hospital bag ready to go and then on the day, your phlebotomist will use it to collect the tissue safely. You then hand that back to the courier, who gets it back to the lab, where it’ll be processed and stored.
If you want any further detail get yourself a free welcome pack today or get in contact and we can help you.
Request a Welcome Pack
Find out more about cord blood banking by downloading a Welcome Pack now.
