Is it True the Cord Blood Stem Cells Don’t Last Long in Storage?
The innovative field of regenerative medicine has been exploding with growth in recent years. This growth has been supported in part by conscientious parents electing to bank their child’s cord blood.
While the growth in research has been tremendous, so have all the myths behind cord blood banking.
The myth we are addressing today is that cord blood stem cells have a limited lifespan when they undergo cryopreservation.
How Long Can Stem Cells Be in Cryopreservation
It’s important to point out that the cord blood banking concept has been around since the late 1980s led by pioneer Hal Broxmeyer, PhD of Indiana University’s School of Medicine. The first stem ell transplant actually took place in 1989.
Dr. Broxmeyer has expressed that his own research has thawed and recovered stem cells after 23.5 years in storage; but he also points out that with proper techniques, the cells may last decades longer.
“Based on the studies in our laboratory, it is likely that cord blood can be stored frozen for decades and still be a potent source of cells for transplantation.” – Dr. Hal Broxmeyer
So it seems that the longevity of cryopreserved cord blood is not yet known; however, it may extend decades further than we know.
References:
Gluckman E, Broxmeyer HA, Auerbach AD, et al. Hematopoietic reconstitution in a patient with Fanconi’s anemia by means of umbilical-cord blood from an HLA-identical sibling. N Engl J Med. 1989;321(17):1174–1178.
[PubMed]Broxmeyer, H.E., Lee, M-R, Hangoc, G., Cooper, S., Prasain, N., Kim, Y-J, Mallett, C., Ye, Z., Witting, S., Cornetta, K., Cheng, L., and Yoder, M.C. 2011. Hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, generation of induced pluripotent stem cells, and isolation of endothelial progenitors from 21- to 23.5-year cryopreserved cord blood. Blood. 117:4773-4777. [PubMed]
