Did you know?

Stem cells are cells from which all other cells functioning in the body are generated. Through a process called differentiation, stem cells can divide to specialized cells such as blood cells, brain cells, heart muscle cells or bone cells. No other cell in the body has the natural ability to do this.

Stem cells isolated from human placenta (umbilical cord blood and tissue), which are often discarded after pregnancy, are particularly promising due to their ease of collection and ability to differentiate into different types of tissue. Stem cells hold great promise in research and have the potential to treat a wide variety of conditions. The potential therapeutic role of stem cells derived from the placenta have been studied for wound healing, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, and chronic lung or liver injury. Surgical intervention on a fetus still in the womb for structural birth defects, such as spina bifida, has rapidly progressed as a field due to advances in maternal-fetal medicine and improving surgical techniques. Though much work still needs to be done, placental stem cells are a promising therapeutic agent for fetal intervention for congenital disease.