ABOUT STEM CELLS

When an ovum and a sperm cell fuse at the time of conception, a fertilised ovum is formed. This fertilised ovum will then divide, forming a two-cell embryo. These two cells in turn repeatedly divide further, so that after a few weeks a foetus already with budding organs with budding organs begins developing. At Birth, this foetus comes into the world as a baby, a baby that will grow into an adult.

The Amazing thing is that a single Fertilised ovum caan develop into a variety of cell types through division. Nature Makes this possible by enlisting stem cells, cells that divide into one new stem cell and one specialised cell, such as a nerve cell, skin cell or liver cell.

There are THREE different types of STEM CELLS:

EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS

After Fertilisation, these Non-Specialised stem cells develop into all other cell types. To be able to harvest an embryonic stem cell for the development of a treatement, embroys must be destroyed in a laboratory.

ADULT STEM CELLS

A stem cell dows not disappear after birth, they remain in our body and play a role in the repair of damaged tissues. These 'RESERVES' gradually shrink, however, and become less and less vital (I). These adult stem cells can also develop into other cell types (II).

UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD STEM CELLS

It can also differentiate into a number of other cell types (III). These stem cells are very young and vital, and also easy and inexpensive to obtain. This stem cell can be frozen for subsequent use for the cell donars themselves or other patients.

Stem cells from umbilical cord blood have a number of advantages, they are more vital, easy to remove, and the removal is not subject to ethicak objections. until recently, umbilical cord blood was in the vast majority of births simply thrown away.