7 Benefits of Preserving Stem Cells
                     7 Benefits of Preserving Stem Cells
Embryonic Stem Cells
These stem cells are drawn 
from embryos that are by-
products of clinical 
fertilisation. Many scientific 
and religious bodies have 
voiced that an embryo has 
the potential for new live, 
and that this potential 
begins at the point of 
conception. So, rightly 
speaking, the foetus holds 
human rights throughout its 
multiple stages of 
development.
Cord Blood Stem Cells
Due to the various 
concerns voiced in the use 
of embryonic stem cells by 
ethical commissions and 
societies across the world, 
there was a need for a new 
source of potential stem 
cells, in order to advance in 
the implications on 
stem cell therapy. This 
drove the study of 
biomedicine to explore cord 
blood stem cells. It was 
seen that cord blood 
derived embryonic stem 
cells had the rare 
characteristic of versatility. 
Let us explore the benefits of preserving stem 
cells:
1. It can save Life:
 Umbilical cord blood is an 
extremely rich source of stem 
cells that are used to treat 
more than 80 life threatening 
diseases and disorders – 
including cancer, blood 
disorders, immune system 
disorders, and genetic 
diseases. Stem cells can also 
rebuild the immune system 
after chemotherapy and be 
used as an alternative to a 
bone marrow transplant.
Let us explore the benefits of preserving stem cells:
2. Cord blood stem 
cells will always be 
a perfect match for 
your baby:
There are no ifs or buts 
about this.
Stem cells can help to 
repair or rebuild injured or 
damaged cells for your 
child and potentially other 
family members too.
Let us explore the benefits of preserving stem 
cells:
3. Cord blood stem cells 
have potential 
sibling/family use:
There’s a 1:4 (25%) chance 
of being a perfect match for 
a sibling. With cord blood 
transplants, it is however not 
always necessary to have a 
perfect match and, 
depending, for example, on 
the number of stem cells in 
the collection, a lesser 
match may be acceptable.
Let us explore the benefits of preserving stem cells:
4. Stem cell research is 
revealing exciting future 
uses:
Science is progressing every day. 
There are already a number of 
clinical trials which are being 
undertaken with umbilical cord 
blood and cord tissue stem cells – 
these include clinical trials for 
blood disorders, as well as for 
neurological conditions such as 
cerebral palsy, autism, stroke, 
anoxic and traumatic brain injury, 
for diabetes and, for example, for 
muscle repair and arthritis.
Let us explore the benefits of preserving stem 
cells:
5. Umbilical cord stem cells 
have greater therapeutic 
potential:
The umbilical 
cord blood stem cells are also 
more ‘immunologically naïve’ 
than bone marrow stem cells as 
they have not been exposed to 
outside immune stimulation 
(such as infections). In 
allogeneic transplants (such as 
between siblings) they are less 
likely to cause the transplant-
related complication of graft-
versus-host disease.
Let us explore the benefits of preserving stem cells:
6. You can store your baby’s 
stem cells for 20 years or more:
Stem cells are stored in special 
cryo-preservation bags which are 
overwrapped and placed, 
individually, in aluminium 
protective cases. Each sample is 
labelled with a unique identifying 
code and stored, in a cryo-
preservation tank, in the vapour 
phase of liquid nitrogen (at 
approximately minus 196°c). 
Evidence shows that after 23 years 
of preservation at these world-class 
standards, stem cells are still 
healthy and good to use.
Let us explore the benefits of preserving stem cells:
7. You have an option of storing 
your baby’s stem cells locally 
or internationally:
The use of stem cells to treat injury 
or disorders by introducing healthy 
cells to damaged tissues has been 
considered a medical breakthrough 
and nowadays it has become the 
best possible treatment for a wide 
range of diseases. These include 
the treatment of some deadly 
diseases whose cure are not being 
discovered yet. So, before getting 
too late let us save the umbilical 
cord and preserve it for further use.
The Ethics of Stem Cell Therapy
When stem cell therapy and 
research first started, most 
clinical trials used stem cells 
drawn from human bone marrow 
for the purposes of medical 
discoveries, to deal with a 
variety of ailments ranging from 
injury, terminal illnesses, anemia 
and immune system disorders, to 
name a few.  These cells have 
been used for many years in a 
range of treatments and the 
ethical debate only started when 
embryonic stem cells were used 
in research and clinical trials.
References:
https://www.cordlifeindia.com/blog/7-benefits-
preserving-stem-cells/
https://www.cordlifeindia.com/blog/the-ethics-
of-stem-cell-therapy/