The Institute for Stem Cell Biology Zurich, a virtual platform for the advancement of the application of stem cells in the treatment of human diseases (www.iscb-zurich.com) has set itself the objective of inviting international experts to participate in scientific discourse and in the exchange of experience at regular intervals.
The treatment of oncological and genetic diseases with the help of stem cells has been of the utmost importance in haemato-oncology and pediatrics for many years.
One of our special interests is the therapeutic use of umbilical cord blood stem cells. Umbilical cord blood experiences an increase in applications as alternative to bone marrow transplants, for the treatment of leukaemia, lymphoma and inherited genetic disorders. The reasons are faster availability and the overall reduced risk of rejection. So far, cord blood banks worldwide have collected over 400.000 umbilical cord blood units of which 20.000 have been transplanted.
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Umbilical cord blood stem cells
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Bone marrow stem cells and stem cells derived form peripheral blood
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Abundantly available stem cell source
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Registered donors often drop out of the donor program
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Young and healthy cells. Compared to stem cells from adults they are free of any damage caused by exposure to environmental factors over time.
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Altered cell quality due to advanced donor age and exposure to illnesses, medication and environmental factors.
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The collection is easy and quick without any medical risk to the donor.
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Invasive harvesting procedure.
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Almost immediate availability (within 24 hours).
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Search for an HLA-matched unrelated adult donor may take as long as 3-6 month.
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Transplantation independently of a perfect HLA match is possible and still leads to decreased graft versus host disease (GvHD) compared to perfectly matched bone marrow.
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Perfect match required.
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Less GvHD compared to perfectly matched bone marrow.
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Severe GvHD despite perfect HLA match possible.
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60% 5-year survival rate of children transplanted with perfectly matched cord blood.
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38% 5-year survival rate of children transplanted with perfectly matched bone marrow.
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Adequate cell numbers for grown ups are procurable.
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Higher transplant volume with higher cell count.
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A stem cell depot specifically for ethnic minorities can be established.
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Reduced chances for patients from ethnic minorities to identify a donor.
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