The major medical difference between cord blood and cord tissue is the types of stem cells that each contains. Cord blood, contains hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which mature into blood and immune cells. Cord blood stem cells currently have the potential to treat 82 diseases and conditions, including cancer, leukemia and lymphoma, anemia, metabolic disorders and other congenital immune deficiencies.
Cord tissue, on the other hand, contains mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which mature into cells that form the skeletal and structural components of the body, such as cartilage (chondrocytes), bone (osteoblasts), fat (adipocytes), and other forms of connective tissue. There are not yet any conditions established to be treatable with cord tissue, although there are many potentially promising applications. Parents electing to store cord tissue are doing so because they believe that future medical advances will be made with the MSCs sourced from this tissue. [Read more…]