For the first time in the world stem cells from umbical cord blood were successfully used in 1988 in France. In 2007 for the first time umbical cord blood stored in one of FamiCord member companies was used in transplantation. Until 2015 in the whole world stem cells from the cord blood were used over 40 000 times saving life and health.
Transplantation of stem cells from umbilical cord blood is a natural consequence of bone marrow transplantation. With advantages of stem cells from umbilical cord blood over the cells from bone marrow they are used more and frequently in saving lives. Similarly to bone marrow cord blood can be used for autologous use (for a child from whom umbilical cord blood was collected) or allogeneic (for another person - eg. siblings). In the case of cord blood transplantation currently more frequent are those performed among siblings than autologous transplantation. In the case of stem cells from the bone marrow, it accounts for around 60% of all transplantation performed.
First, effective and well-documented family cord blood transplant was performed in 1988 at the initiative of US doctors - Hall Broxmeyer and Joanna Kurtzberg in Paris clinic of prof. E Gluckman. Transplant recipient was living in the United States boy suffering from Fanconi anemia, congenital. He had a stem cells transplanted from the cord blood of his newborn sister.
Nowadays, medicine goes forward, and the list of diseases, where the use of stem cells is a standard medical treatment is constantly growing.
Stem cells are used for transplants. This type of cell has the unique ability to repair damaged cells (e.g. defected bone marrow in the case of leukaemia) and thus save lives. This method of treatment has already become a routine modality worldwide.