Stem Cell Expansion: Hope or Hype ?

Some of the most frequently asked questions we hear from our families have to do with stem cell expansion, or “amplification” as some are calling the process. Here are some general answers to the status of stem cell expansion in general, and how this subject relates to your stored cord blood stem cells here at NECBB.

Q: What is Cord Blood Stem Cell Expansion and why is it important?

A: Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell expansion is currently an experimental procedure where a collection of stem cells in the laboratory are placed in a growth medium and allowed to reproduce, thereby increasing the number of available cells. In some cases, this procedure may be necessary to provide sufficient number of cells for transplant. The stem cells have been shown to reproduce invitro (in the laboratory) just as they do in your own bone marrow. Some studies have shown cell expansion has increased the number of stem cells up to 100 times the original number. Cell expansion is the key to recovering enough cells to treat an adult patient.  Preliminary transplants of expanded cord blood stem cells have been successfully performed in Europe and the Far East.

Q: Is NECBB’s storage process certified under a specific protocol ?

A: There has been much discussion regarding the exclusive protocols of one company over another regarding this technology. In fact, there are over 164 different organizations working on cell expansion in more than 20 different countries, including over 25 studies in the USA alone. No one company is likely to have exclusive worldwide rights to this technology, as different and competing techniques will certainly become available in the near future. Those that would stress being in ‘compliance’ with a particular methodology is very premature and unnecessary. Because NECBB’s multi-compartment storage bag is an accepted industry-wide standard method, you can be assured your cells will be suitable for whatever protocol ultimately becomes approved by the FDA.

Q: Is Cell Expansion currently available to my family ?

A: Umbilical cord blood stem cell expansion studies are in progress and have yet to be approved by the FDA for human treatment, and therefore are not yet available except in a growing number of clinical trials. However, the future of cell expansion looks very promising indeed, and is likely to be a major factor in the ever increasing use of cord blood stem cells to treat a growing list of medical conditions. Since eventual acceptance of cell expansion technology is on the horizon, NECBB stores approximately 20% of your child’s cord blood stem cells in a separate compartment (in our multi-compartment bag) to be used at a later time for cell expansion, if desired.

Helpful links : “The Other Stem Cells” Boston Globe June 20/2005 http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/06/20/the_other_stem_cells/?page=2

Stem Cell Information The official NIH resource for stem cell research, last updated August 12, 2005 “Boosting the Numbers of Hematopoietic Stem Cells” (page 17)
http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/scireport/chapter5.asp

Genetic Engineering News May 4, 2005 “BioE First to Clone and Commercialize Multipotent Stem Cell Lines Derived from Human Umbilical Cord Blood”
http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=519610XSL_NEWSML_TO_NEWSML_WEB.xml