In medicine, a new direction in the treatment of people associated with the use of human stem cells has appeared.
The healing properties of human stem cells in medicine have long been known, but they have recently found practical application. Difficulties lie both in the methods of collecting and storing the harvested stem cells, and in ways to effectively use this product.
The great value of stem cell preparations lies in the fact that with their help it became possible to fight many previously incurable human diseases.
Initially, stem cells were obtained from human bone marrow, which caused a great risk to his life. But at the end of the last century, it was found that a safer and simpler way is to obtain stem cells from the blood of the umbilical cord of a newborn.
Cord blood collection in Russia became known recently. You can get such blood from a person only once at his birth. The biological preparation obtained from this blood contains stem cells that can be used to treat many serious diseases, both of the child himself and his next of kin.
This method of obtaining cord blood is considered quite safe for a child and is used today in many countries on earth. The stem cells of the obtained biomaterial are 100% suitable for the treatment of the child himself and 25% for the treatment of relatives.
The main difficulty in cord blood collection is that the search for a suitable donor for treatment can take a long time, sometimes several years. Donor blood in its biological properties should be suitable for a sick patient.
Cord blood collection is carried out in several stages.
To collect and store the obtained biomaterial, special stem cell banks are created in many countries. Since this procedure is expensive, very few people can use this service.
A pregnant woman who wants to collect cord blood should contact such a bank in advance.
Preparation for the procedure is documented, the whole process is insured. The procedure itself is carried out by a medical professional who has undergone special training.
At the first stage, the woman meets the representative of the bank. This should be done 1.5-2 months before delivery. A bank representative will tell you about all the procedures for preparing for childbirth and draw up the necessary documentation.
At the second stage, the representative of the bank gives advice on the procedure for collecting blood in the maternity hospital. A warning is made to the obstetrician that cord blood will be collected and that it needs to be stored.
After that, the woman is given a “personal blood collection kit”.
The third stage consists of blood collection at the birth of a child in a maternity hospital. In this case, it is necessary to fill out the accompanying documentation. The collected blood is analyzed in the laboratory.
At the fourth stage, the collected blood is sent to the «cryo-storage», which is a special reservoir. In the shortest possible time, this tank is delivered to the bank for storing stem cells.
At the fifth stage, after a laboratory test, stem cells are extracted from the blood, and freezing in liquid nitrogen is carried out in sealed test tubes.
At the sixth stage, the obtained material is placed for long-term storage. Each sample is assigned a unique number and a certificate is issued.