Cord blood stem cell transplants have already changed—and saved—thousands of lives around the world. What’s more, science is honing in on other miraculous uses for these precious cells, potentially impacting countless numbers of lives in the future.

How are cord blood stem cells saving lives now?
Cord blood stem cells have already been used to treat more than 70 diseases, including numerous types of malignancies, anemias, inherited metabolic disorders and deficiencies of the immune system. The majority of cord blood transplants to date have been performed in patients less than 18 years old and have been sibling or allogeneic (unrelated third party) transplants.

Acute Leukemias

• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
• Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
• Acute Biphenotypic Leukemia
• Acute Undifferentiated Leukemia

Chronic Leukemias

• Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
• Juvenile Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (JCML)
• Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML)

Myelodysplastic Syndromes

• Myelodysplastic Syndrome
• Refractory Anemia (RA)
• Refractory Anemia with Ringed Sideroblasts (RARS)
• Refractory Anemia with Excess Blasts (RAEB)
• Refractory Anemia with Excess Blasts in Transformation (RAEB-T)
• Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML)

Hematopoetic Cell Disorders

• Aplastic Anemia (Severe)
• Fanconi Anemia
• Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH)
• Pure Red Cell Aplasia

Myeloproliferative Disorders

• Acute Myelofibrosis
• Agnogenic Myeloid Metaplasia (myelofibrosis)
• Polycythemia Vera
• Essential Thrombocythemia

Lymphoproliferative Disorders

• Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
• Hodgkin's Disease

Phagocyte Disorders

• Chediak-Higashi Syndrome
• Chronic Granulomatous Disease
• Neutrophil Actin Deficiency
• Reticular Dysgenesis

Inherited Metabolic Disorders

• Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS)
• Hurler's Syndrome (MPS-IH)
• Scheie Syndrome (MPS-IS)
• Hunter's Syndrome (MPS-II)
• Sanfilippo Syndrome (MPS-III)
• Morquio Syndrome (MPS-IV)
• Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome (MPS-VI)
• Sly Syndrome, Beta-Glucuronidase Deficiency (MPS-VII)
• Adrenoleukodystrophy
• Mucolipidosis II (I-cell Disease)
• Krabbe Disease
• Gaucher's Disease
• Niemann-Pick Disease
• Wolman Disease
• Metachromatic Leukodystrophy

Histiocytic Disorders

• Familial Erythrophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
• Histiocytosis-X
• Hemophagocytosis

Inherited Erythrocyte Abnormalities

• Beta Thalassemia Major
• Sickle Cell Disease

Inherited Immune System Disorders

• Ataxia-Telangiectasia
• Kostmann Syndrome
• Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency
• DiGeorge Syndrome
• Bare Lymphocyte Syndrome
• Omenn's Syndrome
• Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID)
• SCID with Adenosine Deaminase Deficiency
• Absence of T & B Cells SCID
• Absence of T Cells, Normal B Cell SCID
• Common Variable Immunodeficiency
• Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome
• X-Linked Lymphoproliferative Disorder

Other Inherited Disorders

• Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome
• Cartilage-Hair Hypoplasia
• Glanzmann Thrombasthenia
• Osteopetrosis

Inherited Platelet Abnormalities

• Amegakaryocytosis / Congenital Thrombocytopenia

Plasma Cell Disorders

• Multiple Myeloma
• Plasma Cell Leukemia
• Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia

Other Malignancies

• Breast Cancer
• Ewing Sarcoma
• Neuroblastoma
• Renal Cell Carcinoma

Autologous (self) stem cells may not be useful in the treatment of certain of the above diseases.

What new uses for cord blood stem cells are possible in the future?

New medical technology may well use these cells to rebuild cardiac tissue, repair damage due to stroke or spinal cord injuries and reverse the effects of such diseases as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s. While the research is in its early stages, the possibilities are extremely promising. And banking your child’s stem cells increases access to any of these technologies in the future.