Umbilical Cord News and Research

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The umbilical cord is the structure that attaches the fetus to the placenta and acts as the medium through which nutrients, gases and waste products travel between the mother and the fetus.

New Pitt analysis reveals causes of stillbirth among obese women

Obese women are nearly twice as likely as their lean counterparts to have stillborn babies for several specific, potentially preventable medical reasons, a new University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health analysis reveals.

27 Aug 2015

NYBC, UC Davis Health System partner to manufacture potential stem cell therapies

New York Blood Center today announced a new collaboration with the University of California, Davis, Health System to manufacture specialized lines of stem cells as potential therapies for repair and regeneration of retina, kidney, lung and liver tissue, as well as for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease.

20 Aug 2015

Transplanting mesenchymal stromal cells derived from amniotic membranes can benefit eye diseases

A team of researchers in South Korea has successfully transplanted mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from human amniotic membranes of the placenta (AMSCs) into laboratory mice modeled with oxygen-induced retinopathy (a murine model used to mimic eye disease).

20 Aug 2015

Gamida Cell reaches agreements with FDA and EMA regarding NiCord Phase III study design outline

Gamida Cell, a leader in cellular and immune therapies for the treatment of cancer and orphan genetic diseases, announced today that the company has reached agreements with the FDA and EMA regarding the Phase III study design outline of NiCord.

10 Aug 2015

FamilyCord announces recent acquisition of LifeLine Cryogenics

California Cryobank Stem Cell Services LLC (dba "FamilyCord"), announced the recent acquisition of LifeLine Cryogenics, an east coast cord blood and reproductive tissue bank primarily servicing the New York tristate area. LifeLine clients will maintain full access to their invaluable tissues, and all prepaid contracts will be honored.

4 Aug 2015

Researchers use silk fibers to grow stem cells into salivary gland cells

The silkworm, which produces the essential ingredient for fine silk fabric, also plays a critical role in a new process designed to provide relief for millions of individuals with dry mouth, a devastating oral and systemic health issue.

28 Jul 2015

Stem cell transplantation improves outcomes in children with rare form of chronic blood cancer

Researchers in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation at Children's Hospital Los Angeles have shown greatly improved outcomes in using stem cell transplantation to treat patients with a serious but very rare form of chronic blood cancer called juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML).

24 Jul 2015

Study: Umbilical cord milking improves blood pressure, red blood cell levels in preterm infants

A technique to increase the flow of blood from the umbilical cord into the infant's circulatory system improves blood pressure and red blood cell levels in preterm infants delivered by Cesarean section, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

29 Jun 2015

Cell transplantation researchers successfully treat laboratory rats modeled with severe burns

Cell transplantation researchers have successfully used bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to treat a variety of diseases and conditions. Now, using injections of MSCs, a research team in Brazil has successfully treated laboratory rats modeled with severe burns.

25 Jun 2015

UCSF scientists identify characteristics of progenitor cells

University of California San Francisco scientists have identified characteristics of a family of daughter cells, called MPPs, which are the first to arise from stem cells within bone marrow that generate the entire blood system. The researchers said the discovery raises the possibility that, by manipulating the fates of MPPs or parent stem cells, medical researchers could one day help overcome imbalances and deficiencies that can arise in the blood system due to aging or in patients with specific types of leukemia.

19 Jun 2015

CellResearch receives new patent approval from USPTO for stem cell technology

CellResearch Corporation Pte Ltd, a Singaporean company that specializes in stem cell technology, has received approval for its latest patent on 6 May 2015 from the US Patent and Trademark Office.

18 Jun 2015

NIH researchers develop 'placenta-on-a-chip' to study role of placenta in pregnancy

National Institutes of Health researchers and their colleagues have developed a "placenta-on-a-chip" to study the inner workings of the human placenta and its role in pregnancy. The device was designed to imitate, on a micro-level, the structure and function of the placenta and model the transfer of nutrients from mother to fetus. This prototype is one of the latest in a series of organ-on-a-chip technologies developed to accelerate biomedical advances.

18 Jun 2015

SynGenXTM-1000 System adopted by Anthony Nolan Cell Therapy Centre

SynGen Inc., a company that focuses on the development and commercialization of instrument systems that harvest stem and progenitor cells from umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, peripheral blood, and cell culture, announced today that, after extensive review of competitive systems, The Anthony Nolan Cell Therapy Centre in Nottingham UK has chosen the SynGenXTM-1000 System and the CryoPRO Workstation to process its umbilical cord blood units. Anthony Nolan has signed a 5-year contract with Deva Medical Electronics Ltd, SynGen Inc.’s UK distributor, for the supply of SynGen’s products and all post-sales support, starting late summer 2015.

15 Jun 2015

Swedish researchers show link between delayed cord clamping and fine motor skills in children

The importance of the umbilical cord not only for the fetus but for newborn infants too was shown by Swedish researchers several years ago, in a study that received great international acclaim. In a follow-up study in the journal JAMA Pediatrics they have now been able to show an association between delayed cord clamping (DCC) and children's fine motor skills at the age of four years, especially in boys.

27 May 2015

Pre-pregnancy maternal weight has significant impact on baby's immune system

Almost 60 percent of women of childbearing age in the United States are overweight or obese. Obesity is a major public health issue, and has been linked to health problems like heart disease, cancer and hypertension. It can complicate pregnancy by increasing the mother's risk of having gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm birth or a baby with birth defects. Maternal obesity is also linked to several adverse health outcomes for the infant that can persist into adulthood, such as type-2 diabetes, heart disease and mortality.

19 May 2015

Non-coding RNAs in maternal food can pass through placenta to regulate fetal gene expression

In a new study published in the Protein & Cell, Chen-Yu Zhang's group at Nanjing University reports that small non-coding RNAs in maternal food can transfer through placenta to regulate fetal gene expression.

14 May 2015

$Bone-marrow-derived MSCs can promote fracture healing$

Bone-marrow-derived MSCs can promote fracture healing

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been transplanted to successfully treat a variety of diseases and conditions. The benefit of using MSCs is their ability to self-renew and differentiate into a variety of specialized cell types, such as osteoblasts (cells contributing to bone formation), chondrocytes (cartilage cells), adipocytes (fat cells), myocardiocytes (the muscle cells that make up the cardiac muscle), and neurons (nervous system cells).

30 Apr 2015

Epigenetic processes influence children's later ability to learn and cognitive performance

Although it is now widely recognised that a poor start to life has long-term effects on a child's later ability to learn, the mechanisms by which the environment in early life affects later life chances are poorly understood.

23 Apr 2015

Uganda Newborn Study explores ways to improve child mortality rates

In Uganda, child mortality rates are improving, but progress is slower for deaths occurring in the first four weeks of life, or the newborn period, and for stillbirths. But recent evidence from local researchers show that a cost-effective package of care linking families, government-mandated village health teams (a form of community health workers), and health facilities can improve life-saving practices during pregnancy, childbirth and in the first weeks of life; and benefit poorest families the most.

1 Apr 2015

TRUFFLE study evaluates monitoring techniques to identify babies with poor growth in the womb

Babies that grow poorly in the womb could have better outcomes if a method for the timing of delivery was used more widely, a study suggests.

11 Mar 2015