Umbilical cord blood is an equivalent alternative to bone marrow as a source of hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells. They are used in the treatment of more than 80 diseases. These are blood pathologies, some malignant tumors, genetic diseases of metabolism. The world’s first umbilical cord blood transplant was performed in 1988 in France, and the first patient treated with this innovative method for Fanconi anemia, Matthew Farrow, has been living a full life for 36 years.
According to the Cord Blood Association, the number of cord blood transplants performed worldwide as of February 2024 was more than 60,000 (https://cord.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/Fact_Sheet.pdf). The experience of clinical use of umbilical cord blood for almost four decades has demonstrated significant advantages of this transplant compared to other (adult) sources of hematopoietic stem cells. This is a lower risk of developing immunological complications, higher efficiency in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia.
The popularity of umbilical cord blood as a source of hematopoietic stem cells increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, when quarantine restrictions caused delays in examining donors, obtaining transplants from them and transporting them. Cord blood products frozen in cryobanks are always ready for use. This fact is also important for the treatment of genetic diseases of metabolism and malignant blood diseases of high risk, when transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells should be performed as soon as possible, without wasting time on searching for a compatible donor and procedures related to receiving a transplant from him.
Also, according to the Cord Blood Association (https://cord.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/Fact_Sheet.pdf), umbilical cord blood cells may be able to restore damaged organs, treat diseases of the heart and nervous system, including autism, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, stroke. At the beginning of 2024, 121 clinical studies were registered in the world in which umbilical cord blood was used in the treatment of various diseases. Importantly, the US Food and Drug Agency (FDA) has approved the use of expanded umbilical cord blood cells, which solves the problem of using transplants with a small number of cells.
Other innovative drugs obtained from umbilical cord blood, primarily CAR-T and induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS) are gaining wider application in clinical research. The researchers of both were awarded the Nobel Prize at different times. CAR-T obtained from umbilical cord blood are promising in the treatment of cancer, because they are able to destroy malignant cells. iPS cells open up great opportunities for bioengineering, that is, the creation of cells and organs from stem cells.
