Open AccessThe umbilical cord: a rich and ethical stem cell source to advance regenerative medicine
Author(s) -
Forraz N.,
McGuckin C. P.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
cell proliferation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.647
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1365-2184
pISSN - 0960-7722
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2184.2010.00729.x
Subject(s) - umbilical cord , regenerative medicine , stem cell , induced pluripotent stem cell , medicine , embryonic stem cell , cord blood , haematopoiesis , hematology , adult stem cell , immunology , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , gene
Science and medicine place a lot of hope in the development of stem cell research and regenerative medicine. This review will define the concept of regenerative medicine and focus on an abundant stem cell source – neonatal tissues such as the umbilical cord. Umbilical cord blood has been used clinically for over 20 years as a cell source for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Beyond this, cord blood and umbilical cord‐derived stem cells have demonstrated potential for pluripotent lineage differentiation (liver, pancreatic, neural tissues and more) in vitro and in vivo . This promising research has opened up a new era for utilization of neonatal stem cells, now used beyond haematology in clinical trials for autoimmune disorders, cerebral palsy or type I diabetes.