We all may have stipulations when it comes to donating organs and even blood. However, pregnant women should keep in mind that donating their umbilical cord blood could also save lives, a clinical cell therapy expert says.
Cord blood is the blood collected from the umbilical cord and placenta after the birth of a healthy baby, said Fabio Triolo. He is the director of the Cellular Therapy Core laboratories at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
Cord blood can be used to treat patients with blood diseases – such as sickle cell disease and others including leukemia and lymphoma – who require a life-saving stem cell transplant.
Researchers are also investigating other types of cord blood-based treatments for conditions such as cerebral palsy and congenital diaphragm disease.
It can be difficult to find donor matches for patients, so blood banks need