VUE

For those of us not in the medical profession, can you give us some insight into the importance of cell therapy? We all originate from a single cell—at the time of fertilization, a single cell gives rise to all of the cells that make up the full human body. Some of these cells become brain cells, some of these cells become heart cells, some of these cells become bone cells, etc. What's unique about stem cells is their ability to mature and divide and specialize into those different cell types. Since those cells can make up all of the functional tissues and organs of the body, could they be a tool to fix damaged tissues or organs? And that's where the real interest in stem cells came early on. e ability to harness this fundamental, biological property of stem cells to effectuate repair and recovery in damaged or diseased tissues seems like a very logical way to approach the development of new treatments. What are the benefits of banking placental tissues, and why might expectant parents want to invest in this type of therapy? e stem cells that are recovered from the placenta and umbilical cord blood come from the child; they are biologically linked to that donor. e parents have a unique relationship with the child biologically, and so they oen are potential recipients and beneficiaries of those cells as well. e way that parents should look at stem cells collected from the placenta aer birth is that they are a way to capture nature's repair kit and store it away for potential use in the event your child develops any life-threatening, hematologic cancer. And now, these cells may, in fact, play a major role in immunotherapies for the child, provide novel ways to induce repair aer common injuries, and then the future holds the probability that these cells can be used to enhance the lifespan of the child as well. How is placental stem cell banking and placental blood banking different from cord blood banking? e placenta is the organ that gives rise to the cells that are found in cord blood. ink of it as a continuum from the original cell that is created from conception. ose cells divide and differentiate, or specialize, into tissues that make up the placental organ and ultimately the developing fetus. Since the cells you find in cord blood come from the placenta, it means the cells that come from the placenta have that same potential ability. e beauty of the placenta is that it is such a large organ that the ability to recover large quantities of cells is very, very high. How do you respond to expectant parents who ask your advice on whether or not to store their child's stem cells? I tell them that there is an expense to [stem cell banking], but it's not an astronomical expense, and it's generally well within the financial capabilities of most families. e truth of the matter is that if your child was born with an extra bone marrow system or an extra set of kidneys or an extra set of lungs, would you throw them out at birth or would you try to find some way to store them away? *Expectant parents can visit lifebankusa.com to learn more about the process of placental tissue banking. V U E N J . C O M 144

• Cover