PITTSBURGH, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Umbilical cord tissue could be a source of plentiful stem cells, U.S. researchers said.
Bridget Deasy of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has raised the possibility of harvesting stem cells from the umbilical cord's gelatinous material -- called Wharton's jelly -- and from vessel walls.
These cells could be expanded to a greater number, remain remarkably stable and might not trigger strong immune responses, Deasy said.
Deasy and colleagues analyzed umbilical cords donated to research. The study, published online in the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, indicated at least 21 million stem cells, and possibly as many as 500 million, could be banked from the umbilical cord of one baby.
"So, the cord could become an accessible source of a multitude of stem cells that overcomes many of the restrictions, such as limited quantity as well as donor age and donor sex issues, that come with other adult stem cell populations," Deasy said in a statement.
The researchers sought to find the best way to isolate stem cells from the cords. They then tested the cells to confirm the ability to produce specialized cells --such as bone and cartilage -- while retaining the ability to renew themselves.
