Re: Stem cells in the cord blood of newborns?

Stem cells…. what a huge and hot topic today!  
First of all, what are stem cells?  Stem cells are a 'pluripotent' type of 
cell, i.e. a cell that has the potential to grow into many different types 
of tissue e.g. bone, brain, muscle, skin etc.  They are found in their 
greatest quantities in embryos -  embryonic cells have the ability to grow 
into all the different cell types that make up a human being.  At the 
moment the best source of stem cells is from human embryos…which is where 
the ethics of this topic kicks off (but I won't enter that discussion 
now!).
Umbilical cord blood is another rich source of pluripotent stem cells.  
Blood from umbilical cords is easy to collect after a baby has been 
delivered and there is no risk to the mother or baby.  Up to 120ml can be 
collected from one umbilical cord.  
Blood from umbilical cords, with it's supply of stem cells is presently 
being used to treat diseases such as leukemia, sickle cell anemia and 
Hodgkin's diseases, illnesses that are typically remedied by adult bone 
marrow transplants.  In these cases bone marrow is usually donated by 
family members or someone whose tissue has been typed to match that of the 
patient. There is less risk to the patient when they are given umbilical 
blood because the young stem cells are less immunologically active and may 
pose less risk of developing graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) - a 
debilitating and sometimes fatal complication that occurs when donor blood 
cells attack the host's (patient's) body tissues.  Once transplanted the 
healthy stem cells replace the damaged or diseased cells.
Current research is aimed at understanding exactly how to use stem cells to 
cure a myriad of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, heart 
disease, spinal cord injuries and burns.  Scientists need to understand 
what drives stem cells to morph into particular tissue types and how they 
could be encouraged to differentiate into the particular cell type 
required.  Other research uses stem cells to understand more the 
fundamental aspects of development that cannot be studied directly during 
human pregnancy.  Understanding these events may have clinical significance 
for preventing and treating birth defects, infertility and pregnancy loss.