WHAT IS THE UMBILICAL CORD?
The umbilical cord is a structure that is discarded alongside the placenta immediately after birth, yet nourishes the child throughout pregnancy and provides all communication between the mother and child. It varies between 1-2 cm in diameter and 10-50 cm in length. It is made of a hard jelly-like tissue (Wharton's Jelly) and has 3 veins that pass through it, one of which is a vein and two of which are arteries.
Why Are Umbilical Cord Cells Important?
The umbilical cord is made of a hard material called wharton jelly. It contains 2 arteries and a vein. Wharton Jelly is rich in Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC).
MSCs make necessary cells for bone, muscle, cartilage, nerve and connective tissue and take part in their regeneration.
In addition, MSCs have another very important function. They play a role in regulating the immune system. They do this through the chemicals they secrete.
There is a risk of tissue incompatibility disease after blood, tissue and organ transplants. When tissue rejection occurs in the body, Tissue Incompatibility Disease (Graft versus Host Disease -GVHD) can occur which can be very serious and fatal. When MSCs are given to such patients, they reduce the occurrence and severity of tissue rejection disease with their regulatory effects on the immune system. It is used in this field today.
Research is also being carried out on auto-immune diseases that develop later in humans. (Auto immune = diseases caused by the immune substances that the body has accidentally developed against its own tissues, for example, some allergic diseases).
With MSCs, diseases such as Type-I diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), osteogenesis imperfecta (glass bone disease) as well as neurological diseases such as Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, heart diseases, children It has been intensively researched in terms of hearing loss and whether it has therapeutic effects in regenerative medicine.
In Which Diseases Are Mesenchymal Stem Cells Obtained From Umbilical Cord Used?
It can be used in the treatment of diseases caused by damage to tissues and organs developed from mesenchyme cells such as bone, cartilage, adipose tissue, nerve and connective tissue. Its use in organ transplants is approved by all institutions, including the FDA, so that the body does not reject the new organ. In addition, nervous system damage such as cerebral palsy, autism, hearing loss in children, Type-I diabetes and Parkinson's; It is thought that it can be used in the treatment of auto-immune diseases such as MS (multiple sclerosis), rheumatoid arthritis, osteogenesis imperfecta, and many FDA and EMA approved clinical research studies are carried out in Turkey and abroad to for further research.
How Long Is the Umbilical Cord Stored for?
Although it is known that the umbilical cord can be stored for many years in a -1960C' liquid nitrogen tank, there is no regulation regarding this yet. However, considering the fact that the embryo and other cells can be stored for many years without spoiling, the umbilical cord can be stored for the same period of time.
Why Should you store the Umbilical Cord?
In addition to storing the umbilical cord blood, keeping the umbilical cord together provides an advantage as they contain different types of cells and provide treatment for different diseases. Since the jelly-like substance forming the umbilical cord does not contain stem cells belonging to the blood-forming system (hematopoietic) as in cord blood, it is not used in blood diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma. On the other hand, Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) can be used in the treatment of different diseases (for example, the diseases mentioned above, especially Tissue Incompatibility Disease) compared to cord blood.
MSCs are also present in the cord blood, but the amount is very small compared to the umbilical cord. Obtaining MSC from bone marrow requires a surgical procedure under anesthesia and can be painful. MSCs found in cord tissue are obtained in the easiest, harmless and painless way compared to other sources. A portion of the umbilical cord should be removed and stored after birth.
Most importantly, the Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Cord are young and have not yet come into contact with environmental harmful factors. (Click for environmental effects)
It is a very good method to store the cord itself together with the cord blood, as it will increase the chance of use in larger areas in the coming years.
What is ONKIM's Umbilical Cord Processing Method?
In ONKIM, the umbilical cord is stored with a method that is accepted worldwide. Mesenchymal stem cells obtained from the cord are produced by a method developed in our laboratory and approved by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey. An activity certificate was obtained from the TR Ministry of Health for the storage of the umbilical cord and the production of mesenchymal stem cells from the cord.