Under the microscope
Three blades appear in the blastocyst: ecto-, endo- and mesodermal. All cells at this stage are "stem", as they are able to divide and transform into various tissues from their petals. Ectoids skin and nerves, endo- to hollow organs, mesosises in muscles and bones. That is why scientists like to call stem cells "all-powerful". With their help, it is possible to form anew and hemopoietic tissue, and cardiovascular, and many other types of tissues. This is truly a revolution in medicine, which has changed approaches to the treatment of serious diseases.
Scientists all over the world add to the list of diseases that can be treated with stem cells every year.
The Mystery of Self-Healing
When a "breakdown" occurs in the body, they are in the affected area and "patch" the hole. Nature itself has laid a unique restoring mechanism in the human body! So why, after stepping over the thirty-year boundary, we have noticeable wrinkles and gray hair on our face, tingles the heart, and we are increasingly turning to the doctor? The reason is that in the process of growing up, a catastrophic decrease in the production of stem cells is observed: at birth, a stem cell meets 10,000 "ordinary", by 20-25 years - by 100 thousand, to 30 - by 300 thousand. By the age of 50, only 1 stem cell per 500,000 remains in the body, and at this age, as a rule, there are already diseases that are hard to cure, and serious help from outside is required. And thanks to stem cells, you can extend your life!
When the disease stem cells rush to the affected organ and restore it, transforming into the body's necessary cells - bone, liver, heart muscle, and even the brain.
"Liquid" gold medicine
A unique "source" of stem cells is the placental umbilical cord blood collected from the umbilical cord and the placenta after the birth of the child. Cord blood is a certain amount of blood, biologically owned by a newborn. It is thanks to her in the intrauterine period that substances are exchanged between the fetus and his mother. Until the end of the 90s, the last and remaining cord blood was sent to "recycling". Today, the attitude towards this has changed dramatically. And not for nothing. We distinguish several undeniable advantages of umbilical cord blood. It contains the largest number of stem cells. They have a greater potential than adult cells, isolated, for example, from the bone marrow. In addition, the procedure for sampling cord blood does not harm either mother or baby, it is absolutely painless and safe. And, finally, the whole process of sampling, checking and processing is much, much cheaper than getting stem cells in another way. Which cells will take the immune system faster? Certainly, their own. The risk of rejection is minimal, and when treating with stem cells, one can prolong life!
Tip
Before you make the final choice in favor of a particular stem cell bank, be sure to go there and see for yourself.
Shelf life
A serious umbilical cord blood bank is not just a "barrel of nitrogen". Its construction, which will meet all modern Russian and international requirements, is a complicated matter. And by no means cheap. Only very large organizations can afford this.
Where to store?
The bank is obliged to have appropriate laboratory capacities and storage conditions for cellular material. The technology of obtaining cells must be registered and approved for medical use.
The main sign of the bank's reliability is the availability of a license from RosHydrodzor (formerly the Ministry of Health), without which the official activity of this institution is generally impossible.
Cord Blood Collection
Almost all midwives in Moscow and the Moscow region already have experience in collecting umbilical cord blood. The bank with which the future mother concludes the contract, gives her a special container in her hands or delivers it to the hospital. If necessary, the organization sends a specialist for collection and consultation. You or your close relatives need only call the selected institution and tell them that you went to the hospital (or take a container with you and arrange with midwives). Blood sampling is carried out after the birth of the baby and suppression of the umbilical cord. Neither for the baby, nor for the mother, this procedure poses no threat. Blood is collected in a container with an anticoagulant (anti-coagulation agent) and sent to a specialized laboratory for treatment. The procedure for obstetricians is worked out so much that it is carried out both during normal births and at cesarean section, and also in case of multiple pregnancies separately for each of the children born.
In certain cases, the stem cells of the umbilical cord are used to treat close relatives. There is a high probability that the stem cells of parents or children will suit their other children, brothers and sisters.
Question price
The payment for the storage of stem cells is taken after the signing of the act on the provision of services and the issuance of a certificate. It is 3000 rubles per month. Discounts and payment by installments are possible. If you decide to keep stem cells, do not hesitate to ask questions to managers.
Potential clients
Doctors strongly recommend that you carefully consider the possibility of preserving cord blood stem cells, if ...
In the history of your family there were malignant diseases or blood diseases. The family already has sick children, which can be treated with stem cells derived from the cord blood of a newborn brother or sister.
But keep in mind that private clinics do not and can not be licensed for this activity!
If the blood is stored in different cryovials, it can be used several times. Cryoshell can be frozen and unfrozen only once.
Legal subtleties
1. At present, in our country there is practically no legal field, within which it is possible to freely use stem cells. More or less, the law regulates the use of bone marrow cells, cord blood for the treatment of leukemia and some other rare diseases. The remaining methods should be carried out either in research institutes of state profile institutes, or in organizations that have a corresponding license.
2. Any new method of treatment, including the use of stem cells, must be properly approved by the supervisory authorities. The methodological basis for the use of stem cells is defined at the departmental level (by the Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Health).
3. The order of the Ministry of Health defines the range of scientific institutions that are authorized in their certified laboratories to receive and apply cell cultures. Therefore, those clinics that do not comply with these conditions work at their own peril and risk. No less risk their patients: they may be victims of fraud and undermine their health. "Optimistic statements that there is no risk when using stem cells are not justified. The illiterate use of cellular technologies on the contrary can harm human health.