Cord Tissue Segment

In the umbilical cord tissue is a gelatinous substance, which functions as the primary connective tissue of the umbilical cord and is referred to as Wharton’s Jelly. This segment contains an important amount of Mesenchymal stem cells. These cells are an excellent candidate for “regenerative medicine” and tissue engineering applications. Mesenchymal stem cells have shown great promise in the potential treatment of diseases like:

• Heart attack
• Parkinson’s disease
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Type I Diabetes
• Assist in bone and dental regeneration
• Expedite wound healing

Why Bank My Baby’s Cord Tissue?

In the past, the umbilical cord has been viewed as medical waste and discarded, resulting in the loss of this potential life-saving resource. Now you can save these stem cells through GeneCell International’s Cord Tissue Banking Program, so that your child can potentially benefit from new developments in cellular therapy in his or her lifetime. By storing the stem cells extracted from your umbilical cord tissue along with your baby’s cord blood, you’ll have access to a wider variety of stem cells as new scientific discoveries are made.

What is the difference between Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells and Cord Tissue Stem Cells?

Umbilical cord blood is the blood that remains in the vein of the umbilical cord and placenta at the time of birth. This blood is rich in hematopoietic or blood derived stem cells and therefore can be used to treat certain types of diseases. The cord tissue or Wharton’s jelly is the tissue surrounding the umbilical vein and vessels in the cord and rich in mesenchymal stem cells. The mesenchymal stem cells have the capability to differentiate into bone cells, fat cells and cartilage which will be used for other applications that differ from the cord blood stem cells.