Lifeline in an ethical quagmire: umbilical cord blood as an alternative to embryonic stem cells☆
Abstract
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are capable of unlimited self-renewal and have the ability to give rise to all tissue types in the body. Recently, tissue-specific stem cells such as bone marrow cells have also been found to be capable of multilineage differentiation into cells of various nonblood tissues. Umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells have been shown to be as effective as bone marrow stem cells for rebuilding the hematopoietic system and differentiating into nonblood cell types. This observation raises the exciting possibility of replacing human ES cells for tissue and cell therapeutics with umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells that are normally discarded with the placenta after delivery.
aDivision of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Toronto, Canada
bSamuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, USA
Robert F. Casper, M.D., Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Toronto, and Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Division of Reproductive Sciences, University of Toronto, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital,, 150 Bloor St W., Suite 210,, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 2X9
☆ What if the umbilical cord blood stem cells we usually discard with the placenta could replace controversial embryonic stem cells in therapy?
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