2010-01-19

Matching donors cannot always be located for bone marrow transplant patients, and even when found, there is still a risk of the patient's body rejecting the new cells. Umbilical cord stem cells solve this problem, as they do not possess the characteristics that would normally trigger immune rejection. Researchers from the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle discovered a method of manipulating a signaling pathway to increase the number of stem cells available for transplantation. After testing on laboratory animals, researchers found they were readily accepted by the body and contributed to rebuilding of bone marrow. Henny Braund of The Anthony Nolan Trust commented that the potential for umbilical cord blood was huge, though it still remains to be an untapped resource.

(BBC News)

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