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From the moment parents find out they are expecting a baby, protective instincts take over. ey do everything in their power to safeguard the health and well-being of their child. Expectant mothers begin monitoring their diets, making sure they do not consume raw or under- cooked foods, deli meats, so cheeses, or alcohol. ey alter their physical routines as well, taking care to engage in pregnancy-safe exercises and making time to rest and recharge when needed. As the baby's due date draws nearer, expectant parents take measures to safety-proof their homes and nurseries as well, ensuring that their baby comes home to an optimal environment. But what if expectant parents could take measures to protect their child not only as a developing fetus and as a newborn, but as a growing child and even as an adult as well? With the advent of cellular therapy, parents have more options than ever before to help their children live long, healthy, and prosperous lives. Many expectant parents became aware of cord blood banking in the early 1990s. Essentially, cord blood banking is when a new mother decides to preserve stem cells from her child's umbilical cord and store them in a blood banking facility for potential future use. ese powerful cells can be used to help or even save the child from which they came, should the child develop any hematologic or immunologic diseases down the road. Many parents opt to bank their child's cord blood as an extra layer of protection for their child's health. Today, leaders in the field of cellular medicine are honing in on a different type of stem cell banking, focused on the placental organ. Medical researchers have found that saving the placenta aer a child is born and banking it for future use can provide even more life-saving benefits than cord blood banking alone. Cell Therapy Transforming the Future of Medicine BY MELISSA SORGE V U E N J . C O M 142

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