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Presenter: Giuseppe, Mucci, Falciano, San Marino
Authors: Giuseppe Mucci
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Autologous cordbloodbanking
Giuseppe Mucci
Bioscience Institute, Republic of San Marino
Emerging therapies and regenerative medicine are increasingly focusing on the use of hematopoietic stem cells to treat previously incurable diseases. Main sources of hematopoietic stem cells are BM (Bone Marrow), PB (Peripheral Blood) and CB (Cord Blood). Having a banked and viable source of one’s own stem cells is a real advantage given the current rate of new discoveries and potential new applications under investigation. Today, CB is the easiest way to obtain cells which can be safely banked for at least 23 years, according to latest scientific evidences. In order to preserve this valuable source of stem cells, there are two current options available: to donate to a public bank or to store in a private bank. The first private umbilical cord blood bank was founded in the USA in 1995 and, to date, more than 780,000 units are stored worldwide in more than 130 private banks. In the past years the number of applications of privately stored umbilical cord blood has risen steadily. As of December 2009, there were more than 400 documented therapeutic applications (229 intra-family and 172 autologous). The last successful case reported involved a child of 9 years, who completely recovered from a severe form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia after transplantation of her own CB stem cells at the age of 3. Beyond the accepted and traditional applications for CB stem cells in hematopoietic transplants, new applications are rapidly emerging highlighting an increasing potential of autologous CB in regenerative medicine leading to a new trend focused on more personalized cellular therapies.
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