STEM CELLS BANKING

Stem cells are the primal cells of the body. The different cell types within the body are all derived from such cells and hence the name.
These cells have the unique ability to differentiate into a variety of cells.
When stem cells divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell or a nerve cell.
Stem cell banks collect the cord blood, the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta which links a mother a child, , as it is rich in life saving stem cells. It is now possible to generate healthy heart muscle cells from stem cells in the laboratory and transplant those cells into patients with chronic heart disease in type 1 diabetes, the cells of the pancreas, that normally produce insulin are destroyed by the patient’s own immune system.
It is now possible to direct the differentiation of stem cells in stem culture to form new insulin producing cells that could eventually be used in transplantation therapy for diabetes.