Cord blood transplants are typically used to treat blood diseases, such as leukemia or aplastic anemia. Cord blood is the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta after the birth of a baby. About 1/2 cup of cord blood—rich in stem cells, which are the “parent” cells of all blood cells— can be collected from each placenta and umbilical cord.

These cells can be used in place of bone marrow stem cells when a matching bone marrow donor cannot be found. Once transplanted, cord blood stem cells migrate to the bone marrow, where they begin creating healthy blood cells, enabling the recipient to reconstitute an immune system that may have been compromised by chemotherapy or radiation. Because of the limited number of cells that can be collected, cord blood is primarily used for children.

Cord blood stem cells have an advantage over marrow in transplant use, however: they are less likely to attack the recipient’s body, a trait that makes matching unrelated donor and recipient less risky. Consequently, many researchers are developing ways to expand the number of stem cells in a unit of cord blood, in order to treat adults.

Cord blood research at the Northwest Tissue Services and Puget Sound Blood Center, the University of Washington, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is offering hope for adults, as it has for children, with life-threatening diseases of the blood system. New research breakthroughs indicate promise for the use of cord blood stem cells in treating many other diseases and genetic deficiencies too.