Umbilical cord blood stem cells

What are stem cells and what can they do?

Stem cells are powerful master cells that have two unique properties:

• The ability to self renew indefinitely
• The power to divide into specialised cells

This means that when your body needs more stem cells, they can replicate to produce more specialised cells that can replace damaged ones. Your child’s body has over 200 types of specialised cells, including hair, skin, organs, brain and nervous system cells. Each of these cells will have originated from a stem cell and have just one crucial function.
For example, skin cells act as a protective barrier to the outside world while heart cells pump vital blood around their body. Red blood cells carry the precious oxygen that your child needs to function and white blood cells form the immune system that prevents them from falling ill.

Given the right conditions and signals, your baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells can differentiate into these different cell types. As a result, they are extremely valuable in treating an increasing array of medical conditions where specialised cells are damaged and require replacing.