A biological treasure, a miracle of life, an extraordinary reality… These are some of the adjectives that the scientific world has dedicated to hematopoietic stem cells in recent years.
It does not exactly seem to be very scientific terminology. Perhaps because the technical and rigorous language of clinics or laboratories is not enough to express the significance of some achievements or discoveries.
In this case, it is the time factor that catches our attention: did you know that cryopreserved umbilical cord blood is still useful 27 years later? Why do more and more researchers believe that cryopreserved stem cells may be immortal?
Find out how it all started, and how we arrived at these and other questions.
Cord blood: same age, year after year.
In 1988, Dr. Broxmeyer organized the first cord blood transplant.
The story of Dr. Broxmyer and Matthew Farrow is so amazing that a few months ago we decided to conveniently detail it in this blog.
We will add just one fact to measure the significance of this medical milestone: over the next three decades, umbilical cord blood transplants saved more than 40,000 lives.
After Dr. Broxmeyer’s death (2021), his laboratory continued its activity until in the summer of 2023 they surprised with an extraordinary demonstration: cryopreserved umbilical cord blood is still viable after 27 years in frozen storage.
Somehow, the limits of cryopreservation have yet to be discovered.
Other laboratories, such as Cryo-Cell in Florida, Medipost in South Korea and the Düsseldorf Bank in Germany, have replicated successful demonstrations of long-term cord blood banking.
In November 2018, Australia’s BMDI public cord blood bank BMDI announced that it had successfully transplanted a leukemia patient with a donor cord blood unit that had been in storage for 20 years.
More recently, we detailed in this blog the case of Xiao An, cured of aplastic anemia with his own blood 19 years later.
Based on the successful freezing of other cells, such as eggs, it is estimated that umbilical cord stem cells could maintain their optimal storage conditions for approximately 80 years.
In short, there is growing evidence that umbilical cord blood cryopreserves adequately, it does not seem to age at all.
But what are the conditions for this biological material to last so long?
How are stem cells collected? Steps prior to cryopreservation
Before the sample reaches the biobank, the decision is up to the parents. Therefore, there is a process of medical guidance and counseling that helps families decide whether to keep or donate the newborn’s umbilical cord stem cells.
If you would like more information, do not hesitate to ask for it here.
We recall that cord stem cells are especially valued for their immaturity, and therefore, for their enormous capacity to differentiate, proliferate and serve as therapy for an infinite number of degenerative diseases.
On the other hand, delivery is the only time when umbilical cord stem cells can be preserved.
Once the decision is made, these are the most common steps to store umbilical cord stem cells.
- The family will receive a stem cell collection kit.
- Prior to delivery, maternal blood is drawn to identify possible infectious diseases.
- Moments after birth, the cord is clamped, cut and asepsis is performed.
- Then, while the placenta is still inside the uterus, the umbilical vein is accessed by puncture.
- By gravity, as much blood as possible, rich in hematopoietic stem cells, will fall into the reservoir.
- Meanwhile, gentle movements are made in the reservoir to mix the falling blood with the anticoagulant.
Once this process is completed, the samples are identified, hermetically sealed with their respective bar codes to guarantee traceability, biovigilance and safety.
In this sense, America Cell Bank has surgical instrumentators who collaborate with the clinic staff at the time of delivery and ensure the control of the sample, a greater collection of cord blood and the biosafety required by international protocol, in addition to accompanying the family throughout the process.
In addition to these practices, the cord is also often preserved to obtain mesenchymal stem cells(Wharton’s jelly).
Life at -196oC
Cord blood and cord tissue are usually tested, processed and cryogenically stored within 24 to 48 hours of collection.
In this context, security, technology and guarantees that samples are processed, preserved and shipped under the best conditions are of particular value.
As a result, many biomedical or regenerative medicine companies resort to the registration, certification and accreditation of the strictest international protocols in the world for laboratories and biobanks. Among these bodies, the following stand out:
- FDA (Food And Drug Administration): U.S. government agency in charge of creating, implementing and enforcing regulations related to the sale and marketing of food and drugs.
- AABB (Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies): standards, accreditations and educational programs aimed at optimizing patient and donor care and safety.
In Colombia, in addition, the biobanks attached to the INVIMA (National Institute for Drug and Food Surveillance) Technovigilance Program offer additional security.
Prior to cryopreservation, the umbilical cord blood unit must be processed in laboratories using closed automated systems that ensure consistent sterility and quality and prevent exposure to environmental pathogens common in cryopreservation processes .
To preserve their viability and biological characteristics, blood stem cells are stored under optimal conditions using liquid nitrogen at an extremely low temperature of -196ºC.
This technique makes it possible to stop the biological clock of cells and maintain their fundamental properties, such as potency, function and vitality, over time.
At America Cell Bank, we are well aware of the enormous potential of umbilical cord blood stem cells. That is why, with the most advanced technology and the security provided by the most demanding international standards, we contribute to preserve this biological treasure so that the limits of its validity remain unknown for many years to come.
Sources:
https://parentsguidecordblood.org/en/news/how-long-can-cord-blood-be-stored
https://www.hematology.org/about/history/legends/eliane-gluckman-bio
https://medicine.iu.edu/magazine/remembering-hal-broxmeyer
https://www.cryo-cell.com/cord-blood/banking-process-es
