Stem cells

Stem cells are cells that constantly reproduce and have the ability to transform (differentiate) into any other type of cell in an organism’s body (e.g., muscle, bone, nerve, etc.). Stem cells are derived from an embryo at the blastocyst stage, that is, from a 5-day-old embryo consisting of approximately 100 cells. Of these 100 cells, 30–34 (from which the embryo will develop—the remainder will mainly form the placenta) are called stem cells and are totipotent—that is, they can give rise to any tissue in the body. With their inherent plasticity, stem cells offer the potential to replace cells and tissues in cases of spinal cord injuries, strokes, burns, heart disease, and diabetes.” This opens up possibilities that seem limitless and offer boundless hope for life.

Many parents, even in Greece, are rushing to preserve their newborn children’s stem cells in private stem cell banks, where they pay exorbitant amounts to ensure the protection of their health—that of the children themselves as well as the entire family—from potential future illnesses. On the other hand, something many of these parents are unaware of when they turn to a private stem cell bank is that up to 70% of the blood collected from the newborn’s placenta must be discarded, and that even the portion that is frozen is highly unlikely to ever be used medically for their child—here’s why, while turning to private banks does not help ensure that these stem cells are used by other children who may need them, and their own child may not be able to find suitable stem cells from other children because those would be stored in a different bank.

According to biologists, if a child whose stem cells have been frozen for therapeutic use later develops leukemia, those cells will eventually become leukemic as well. That child will therefore need stem cells from another child, and it is unknown whether or where these will be found, since private banks do not concern themselves with the histocompatibility of the cells they store. The collection of stem cells is quick and painless.

During childbirth, after the baby is born and the umbilical cord has been cut, umbilical cord blood is collected from the remaining portion of the umbilical cord attached to the placenta, which is still attached to the uterus. The collection is performed using a special device provided by the stem cell storage company of your choice. Once the collection is complete, the blood is given to the parents, who then deliver it to the company. The umbilical cord blood is then sent to a laboratory where it is processed by specialist biologists who isolate the stem cells.