What Are Stem Cells and Where Do They Come From?
You often have heard terms like stem cell banking through various media. Perhaps you even have wondered if they might help you or a loved one with a serious disease. You might wonder what stem cells are and how medical professionals use them for treating different diseases. Therefore, without much ado, let us delve into the details of stem cells.
Defining Stem Cells
Stems cells are special human cells having great potential and the ability to save lives. These are master cells, which act as the basic building blocks of the human body. The stem cells have the unique ability to transform into specialized cells, such as blood cells, brain cells, and muscle cells. Researchers believe that stem cell therapies are an excellent way of treating serious illnesses such as paralysis and Alzheimer’s disease.
Types of Stem Cells
Embryonic stem cells: The embryonic cells used in the research usually come from unused embryos. The cells result from in-vitro fertilization and are donated to the science. The embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, meaning that they can turn into several types of cells.
Adult stem cells: Adult stem cells have two types. One comes from completely developed tissues, such as the brain, skin, and bone marrow. These tissues contain a very less number of stem cells and can generate only certain types of cells.
The second type is the induced pluripotent stem cells. These adult stem cells undergo certain processing in laboratories to behave similarly to the embryonic stem cells. Scientists claim that induced pluripotent stem cells are not different from embryonic stem cells. However, they failed to find the one from which every kind of cell and tissue can develop.
As stem cells offer a cure for various diseases, people nowadays are thinking of preserving their babies’ stem cells through stem cell banking.
What is Stem Cell Banking?
Stem cell banking is procuring precious stem cells from the human body and then processing and storing them for future use. The stem cell banks use low temperatures to preserve the biological properties of the stem cells from contamination and degeneration.
Standardized and quality-controlled preservatives are necessary for stem cell banking. It helps preserve the properties for a longer period without any loss in their properties. You can easily find affordable cord blood banks at $19.99 per month to store stem cells.
Experts suggest collecting and preserving stem cells from the baby’s umbilical cord right after the delivery. If you think about saving stem cells for your baby’s future, communicate with a stem cell banking network. They would inform you about everything, including the stem cell banking costs.
Where do Stems Cells Come from?
The blood in the umbilical cord of newborn babies is rich in stem cells. When given the right chemical or genetic signals can go on to form more specialized cells of different shapes, sizes, and functions. After attaining a few more cycles of division, they become more specialized. These cells have the properties that help treat the root causes of the health issues.
Babies have more stem cells, and as building blocks are essential for natural growth and repair. With aging, people tend to lose these cells. Therefore, you require storing them when there are plentiful, which is soon after the birth.
Importance of Stem Cell Banking
Besides the umbilical cord, dental toot pulp is a rich source of these amazing cells. The experts are currently using the umbilical cord cells in therapies and transplants to treat over 85 diseases, including anemia, leukemia, lymphomas, and bone marrow cancer.
Besides, researchers conducted over 5000 clinical trials using stem cell therapies. You can also preserve these precious cells cryogenically through stem cell banking. If you wonder about stem cell banking costs, contact a stem cell banking network today.
The process of preserving the stem cells is safe, non-invasive, and risk-free. Today, approximately one in three people benefit from stem cell therapies at some point in their lives.
If you are looking forward to it, it is essential to have a work with your physician early during your pregnancy.