Umbilical Cord News and Research

RSS

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.

Length of pregnancy related to chemical DNA changes in newborns

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have together with an international team mapped the relationship between length of pregnancy and chemical DNA changes in more than 6,000 newborn babies.

2 Mar 2020

CD19 CAR NK cell therapy clinical trial shows encouraging results for hematologic cancers

According to results from a Phase I/IIa trial at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, treatment with cord blood-derived chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (NK)-cell therapy targeting CD19 resulted in clinical responses in a majority of patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, with no major toxicities observed.

6 Feb 2020

Perinatal exposure of rats to flame retardants changes the liver epigenome

Studies have shown that perinatal exposure of rats and mice to common flame retardants found in household items permanently reprograms liver metabolism, often leading later in life to insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

13 Dec 2019

Water births are safe and cause fewer first and second-degree tears, shows study

A new study found that water births are no more risky than land births, and that women in the water group sustain fewer first and second-degree tears.

10 Dec 2019

Pilot clinical trial tests new treatment for type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body's own immune system attacks and destroys beta cells in the pancreas. Once the beta cells are destroyed, the pancreas can no longer produce insulin. Currently, there is no cure for T1D and treatment focuses on managing blood sugar levels.

6 Dec 2019

New collaboration aims to provide solutions for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome

Mayo Clinic's Todd and Karen Wanek Family Program for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) and Children's of Alabama announce their collaboration within a consortium to provide solutions for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare and complex form of congenital heart disease in which the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped.

25 Nov 2019

Novel solution could produce accurate, automated placental diagnostic reports

Placentas can provide critical information about the health of the mother and baby, but only 20 percent of placentas are assessed by pathology exams after delivery in the U.S. The cost, time and expertise required to analyze them are prohibitive.

25 Nov 2019

World's first surgical navigation system for fetal surgery developed

The placenta of every expectant mother is located in a different place, its blood vessels are never the same and its connection to the fetus and the umbilical cord also varies from one pregnancy to another.

25 Nov 2019

Doctors warn against umbilical cord milking in preterm infants

The umbilical cord also termed as the navel string or funiculus umbilicalis, is the channel between the developing fetus and the placenta. It carries oxygenated blood and nutrients from the placenta to the fetus.

20 Nov 2019

Researchers find mechanism that controls the growth of B1-cells

Directly after birth, the immune system completes production of a subtype of antibody-producing immune cells, B-1, that are to last for a lifetime. No more B1-cells are formed after that point. However, these cells are self-reactive - they produce not only antibodies against foreign substances, but also against the body's own substances, and it is unclear why the immune system allows for the development of these particular cells.

13 Nov 2019

New stem cell technology gives new hope for high-risk leukemia patients

Few people get a second chance at life. And fewer still are forced to take it before their 25th birthday. Tyler Rabey is one of those people. He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia at the prime of his life; a cancer that defied all standard treatments.

8 Nov 2019

New stem cell transplant lowers complications for patients with acute blood cancers

The discovery of the UM171 molecule, by Dr. Guy Sauvageau and Anne Marinier, made headlines in 2014 following an article in Science. Hailed by some as a revolution, even a miracle, in the field of blood stem cell transplantation, the UM171 molecule is delivering on its promise.

5 Nov 2019

Premature babies with bronchopulmonary dysplasia have more stem cells at birth

In the first large-scale clinical study to characterize stem cells from the umbilical cord blood and tissues of premature infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia – a severe, chronic lung disease – researchers found that these babies had more stem cells at birth.

5 Nov 2019

MD Anderson and Takeda announce agreement to develop off-the-shelf CAR NK-cell therapy platform

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited today announced an exclusive license agreement and research agreement to develop cord blood-derived chimeric antigen receptor-directed natural killer (CAR NK)-cell therapies, 'armored' with IL-15, for the treatment of B-cell malignancies and other cancers.

5 Nov 2019

Acetaminophen exposure in the womb may increase child's risk for ADHD, ASD

Exposure to acetaminophen in the womb may increase a child's risk for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.

30 Oct 2019