Umbilical cord – Functions and uses

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Umbilical Cord Functions and Uses
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Index

• Umbilical Cord
• Umbilical Cord Features
• Umbilical Cord Functions
• Umbilical Cord Uses
• Stem cell Banking Treatments
• Clinical research and trials

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The umbilical cord is one vital part that
connects the baby to its mother. It is extremely
essential to keep the baby alive while inside the
uterus. Babies develop inside the uterus with the
help of a fetal-life support system that includes
the placenta, the umbilical cord and the amniotic
sac.  The umbilical cord is the life-line that
attaches the placenta to the fetus. It can grow
to be 60cm long allowing the baby enough cord to
move safely without damaging the cord or the
placenta.   Before deciding to opt
for umbilical cord preservation in India, it is
important to understand every function of the
umbilical cord and its uses.
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1. Features The umbilical cord is made up of a
substance called Whartons Jelly rather than
normal connective tissue and skin. Inside the
cord there is one vein which contains oxygenated
blood and two arteries. The umbilical vein goes
deep into the liver of the fetus, where it splits
into two. One part of the vein supplies blood to
the liver. The other branch known as the ductus
venosus, supplies 80 of the blood to the human
body, allowing oxygen and other vital nutrients
to reach throughout the fetus.
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2. Lets read and understand the functions and
uses of an umbilical cord  One defining feature
about mammals is the presence of the umbilical
cord. It is essential to note that, in humans the
umbilical cord is severed after birth. It has
three separate functions Primarily, it serves
as a blood source to the fetus. This is the most
important function as the fetus cannot breathe
and the cord provides oxygen to the fetus.  The
cord also serves as a source of nutrients,
including calories, fats and proteins.  Lastly,
the umbilical cord transfers waste products and
oxygenated blood away from the fetus to the
maternal circulation, where it can be processed
and excreted.
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3. Uses of Umbilical cord  Umbilical cord blood
is a precious commodity in the medical community.
This cord is known as the magical cord. The
umbilical cord can be extracted once the placenta
is expelled, and then stem cells banking can be
done.  Stem cells in the umbilical cord are
capable of repair and self-renewal of damaged
cells and are thus used in medical treatments of
several health conditions. In the last 25
years, umbilical cord preservation in India has
been used in over 30,000 stem cell transplants to
treat over 80 medical conditions.  In most cases
the stem cell transplant is accompanied by
chemotherapy for effective results.  Step 1
Chemotherapy is done to wipe off the patients
blood cells in the bone marrow.  Step 2 Then the
umbilical cord blood stem cells are injected
which will renew the production of new and
healthy immune cells.
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• Here is the list of approved treatments
  using stem cells banking 
• Leukaemia Stem cell transplants can help to
  treat acute, chronic and juvenile forms of
  leukaemia. 
• Lymphoma Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma can
  be treated using stem cell banking. 
• Other blood proliferated disorders This
  includes anaemia, sickle cell anaemia, Beta
  Thalassemia major, SCID condition, red cell
  aplasia, multiple myeloma and plasma cell
  leukaemia. These diseases too can be treated with
  stem cell transplant.
•  Tumors Tumors including neuroblastoma,
  retinoblastoma, and medulloblastoma can be cured
  with stem cells banking for sure.

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4. Clinical research and trials  Currently,
there are more than 30 clinical trials that use
umbilical cord stem cell therapy. These
researches are approved based on the outcomes of
the previous trials. Some of the clinical
researches focus on neurological medical
conditions including autism, cerebral palsy,
spinal cord injury, hearing loss and
cardiovascular disorders.  Stem cells carry an
advantage over a bone marrow transplant because
the donor does not need to be an exact match for
the recipient. There are many private banks for
umbilical cord preservation. Knowing and
understanding the umbilical cord functions and
its uses, a mother must opt for the best bank to
preserve her childs umbilical cord blood
cells. If you know expecting parents who are
trying to understand the umbilical cord and it's
functions, do refer them to this article.
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