Cord Blood Transplants Are Definitely History In The Making
Should I keep my baby's cord blood for personal use?
The history of cord blood research and usage may surprise most people. Cord blood research may seem like something new age and futuristic. But did you know that as early as the mid-eighteen hundreds scientists understood cell structures were the basic building block of all human existence. These men who were far ahead of their times also understood that cells generate and reproduce new cells. The realization that there were stem cells that caused a rise to blood cells was discovered as far back as the early nineteen hundreds.
The dilemma physicians and scientists faced once this controversy in stem cell research discovery became known was how to transplant blood cells or organs from one body to another without rejection of the cells or organ occurring. It was in 1950 that a French physician, D. Jean Dausset discovered human leukocytes antigens (HLA). The HLA systems provided much needed information for understanding more about matching donor and recipient blood types.
Though stem cell research did not cease completely for the next decades there was no real progress made. Improvements only occurred when modern technology and science collided and was brought together. It wasn't until 1973 that a bone marrow transplant was performed on a five-year-old. What was most remarkable about this transplant was that it involved an unrelated donor.
Umbilical cord blood and the seemingly endless possibilities that it held for the medical community came to be recognized in 1988. As with any medical pioneering situation there are controversies and much debate surrounding cord blood research and usage.
Most people in the medical community recognize cord blood technology as a gift and regard it currently as a necessary aspect to fighting specific diseases. Also as ongoing further research continues the yet unknown treatments and applications are still to be found and developed. However there are always reasons to question non-traditional or "new-wave" ideas. This questioning and debate occurs even in the medical field where the motivation is to be saving and prolonging life.
A young boy suffering from a rare anemia called Fanconi was the first to receive cord blood transplant. Fantastically, today with controversy in stem cell research, there is more than five hundred cord blood transplants completed each year. There are countless facilities that store or bank cord blood. Parents are given options to donate cord blood for anonymous usage or to sequester private facilities to safe-keep cord blood for future personal use.
This history leads us to modern day where groundbreaking progress occurs seemingly on a daily basis. As history goes, cord blood is no exception to the ongoing skepticism of new techniques that pertain to transplants. As luck has it there are always pioneers that trudge forward through the controversy to make the most of advancements, to continue to prolong lives, to give quality to life, and to give hope to patients and their families who might not have had the glimmer of hope yesterday.