Placental MSCs Effective Expansion of Cord Blood HSCs
Cord blood has been a proven treatment for more than 80 diseases for more than 30 years. But, one of the key disadvantages of cord blood banking is that the average HSC collection is not enough to treat adult patients.
Today, there is promising new research focused on the expansion of HSCs from cord blood ex vivo. In other words, scientists are looking at ways to increase the number of HSCs outside of the body in order to develop even more effective cellular therapies for all ages.
Cord Blood: 80+ Treatment Options and Counting
Cord blood is a proven treatment for more than 80 diseases ranging from blood disorders, to various types of cancers, to inherited metabolic disorders, to immune system deficiencies. As of February 2022, there are 75 cord blood clinical trials actively recruiting for a range of disorders and conditions including neurologic, auto-immune, cardiovascular, diabetic, genetic and/or metabolic, and orthopedic.
What Makes Cord Blood So Powerful?
Cord blood contains a special type of stem cell called a hematopoietic stem cell (HSC). HSCs are multipotent stem cells that have the capacity for self-renewal in the body and the potential to turn into mature blood cell types. The purpose of HSC transplantation is to restore the body’s ability to make blood and immune cells.
One of the key disadvantages is the limited number of HSCs available in a single cord blood unit necessary to fully restore hematopoiesis function in an adult patient. However, there is promising new research focusing on the expansion of HSCs outside of the body in order to develop even more effective cellular therapies.
Promising New Research: Placental MSCs are Effective in the Expansion of HSCs Ex Vivo
There have been a number of studies looking at different ways to increase the number of HSCs outside the body; specifically the use of placental mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to increase the number of HSCs.
Kadekar et al (2015) conducted research to compare the efficacy of MSCs obtained from cord tissue vs placental tissue to increase the number of functional HSCs. They hypothesized that MSCs in direct contact with HSCs and through the release of signaling molecules such as growth factors / cytokines would be able to maintain the stem cell characteristics of the HSCs while also increasing their numbers.
The researchers conducted a number of studies and found that placental MSCs were significantly more effective in increasing the number of HSCs compared to cord tissue MSCs. They also noted that their methodology had the potential to be directly translated to the clinical setting.
Orticelli et al (2021) conducted research to compare MSCs obtained from bone marrow vs placental tissue. They hypothesized that placental MSCs represent a valid alternative to bone marrow MSCs to increase the number of functional HSCs.
The researchers found that placental MSCs were comparable in efficacy to the “gold standard” bone marrow MSCs.
Did you know? The benefits of cord blood compared to bone marrow include:
- Minimal to no exposure to illnesses and/or environmental factors such as pollution / radiation which can alter stem cell efficacy
- Easy to collect without risk to baby or mother
- Reduced risk of graft vs host disease
- Less stringent requirements for HLA matching
Key Takeaway
Cord blood has been a proven treatment for more than 80 diseases and is actively being investigated in clinical trials for a range of conditions. It also represents a critical stem cell for the future of regenerative medicine.
To fully leverage the potential of HSCs, placental MSCs can be used to increase the number of HSCs while maintaining their stem cell characteristics.
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