Cord Blood Stem Cells

Umbilical cord blood stem cells are present in umbilical cord blood at birth. These stem cells are multipotent and more versatile than adult stem cells, but do not have the same capacity to become any type of cell as do embryonic stem cells.

The advantage of using cord blood stem cells is that they are virtually effortless to collect and free from any risks to the baby or mother.

The disadvantage of cord blood stem cells is that there are relatively few numbers of them available in the cord blood and they do not grow as well in culture as hESCs. This makes working with cord blood stem cells harder. Umbilical cord blood stem cell transplants are currently being used to treat leukemia and other blood disorders.