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Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs)

Cord Blood Processing Method PrepaCyte-CB Leads in Engraftment Time

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The cord blood processing method PrepaCyte-CB has been shown to engraft more quickly during the vital stage of post-transplant recovery than any other processing method. At the 15th Annual International Cord Blood Symposium in San Diego, California, in June 2017, the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank presented the median time it took patients infused with cord blood using either its Hetastarch  or PrepaCyte-CB processing method to reach an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 500.

PrepaCyte-CB was found to engraft a full four days more quickly than the Hetastarch processing method (16 days versus 20 days) and has shown to be just as safe to the patient.1 Combining this data with those of other public data sources, PrepaCyte-CB was found to engraft more quickly than any other processing method. [Read more…]

ReeLabs, Cord Blood Banking in India | Interview with Dr. Bopardikar

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ReeLabs is a leading cord blood bank in India. Cord blood banking in India is of growing importance, because the country has a population of 1.3 billion and is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country by 2024. India’s population growth is fueled by a birth rate (19 births/1,000 population) that substantially exceeds its death rate (7.3 deaths/1,000 population).

In this interview with Dr. Abhijit Bopardikar, Director of ReeLabs, he explains the rise of cord blood banking within India and discusses the importance of pairing stem cell therapy and research applications with stem cell storage services.

[Read more…]

Growth Rates & Trends within the Cord Blood Industry – Interview with Kenneth Harris

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I had the honor of interviewing Kenneth Harris, Chief Advisor for CuraSense Advisors about cord blood industry growth rates and trends. There are many misleading metrics being released about the cord blood banking industry, so it was an honor to speak with another person who is extremely knowledgeable about the cord blood banking field. In this interview, we explore growth rates for the global cord blood industry, key trends affecting the industry, differences in geographic opportunities and more. Enjoy. [Read more…]

Hazardous sleep deprivation affects your stem cells too

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Stem cells are unique for the role they play. They are effectively the body’s raw material – the cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are created, such as those which constitute our blood, brain, or bone.

According to Sleepedia, that is not the only way they are unique. One of the defining features of stem cells is that unlike other cells, they don’t exhaust themselves. After undertaking their duties, they are able to enter a state of hibernation which allows for self-renewal.

They effectively go to sleep and in doing so they make themselves young again, a process known as reversible quiescence. In the body these sleeping stem cells can then remain dormant for years until called into action again. [Read more…]

Do You Know The 5 Types Of Stem Cells?

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As you start to learn about stem cells, one of the most common questions to have is, “What types of stem cells exist?” There is not an agreed-upon number of stem cell types, because one can classify stem cells either by differentiation potential (what they can turn into) or by origin (from where they are sourced). This post is dedicated to explaining the five types of stem cells, based on differentiation potential.

5 Types of Stem Cells by Differentiation Potential

The five different types of stem cells discussed in this article are:

All stem cells that exist can be classified into one of five groups based on their differentiation potential. Each of these stem cell types is explored in greater detail below.

1. Totipotent (or Omnipotent) Stem Cells

These stem cells are the most powerful that exist.

They can differentiate into embryonic, as well as extra-embryonic tissues, such as chorion, yolk sac, amnion, and the allantois. In humans and other placental animals, these tissues form the placenta.

The most important characteristic of a totipotent cell is that it can generate a fully-functional, living organism.

The best-known example of a totipotent cell is a fertilized egg (formed when a sperm and egg unite to form a zygote).

It is at or around four days post-fertilization that these cells begin to specialize into pluripotent cells, which as described below are flexible cell types, but cannot produce an entire organism. 

2. Pluripotent Stem Cells

The next most powerful type of stem cell is the pluripotent stem cell.

The importance of this cell type is that it can self-renew and differentiate into any of the three germ layers, which are: ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm. These three germ layers further differentiate to form all tissues and organs within a human being.

Embryonic Stem Cells

There are several known types of pluripotent stem cells.

Among the natural pluripotent stem cells, embryonic stem cells are the best example. However, a type of “human-made” pluripotent stem cell also exists, which is the induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS cell).

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

iPS cells were first produced from mouse cells in 2006 and human cells in 2007, and are tissue-specific cells that can be reprogrammed to become functionally similar to embryonic stem cells.

Because of their powerful ability to differentiate in a wide diversity of tissues and their non-controversial nature, induced pluripotent stem cells are well-suited for use in cellular therapy and regenerative medicine.

3. Multipotent Stem Cells

Multipotent stem cells are a middle-range type of stem cell, in that they can self-renew and differentiate into a specific range of cell types.

An excellent example of this cell type is the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC).

Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into osteoblasts (a type of bone cell), myocytes (muscle cells), adipocytes (fat cells), and chondrocytes (cartilage cells).

These cells types are fairly diverse in their characteristics, which is why mesenchymal stem cells are classified as multipotent stem cells.

4. Oligopotent Cells

The next type of stem cells, oligopotent cells, are similar to the prior category (multipotent stem cells), but they become further restricted in their capacity to differentiate.

While these cells can self-renew and differentiate, they can only do so to a limited extent. They can only do so into closely related cell types.

An excellent example of this cell type is the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC).

Hematopoietic Stem Cells

HSCs are cells derived from mesoderm that can differentiate into other blood cells. Specifically, HSCs are oligopotent stem cells that can differentiate into both myeloid and lymphoid cells.

Myeloid cells include basophils, dendritic cells, eosinophils, erythrocytes, macrophages, megakaryocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, and platelets, while lymphoid cells include B cells, T cells, and natural kills cells.

5. Unipotent Stem Cells

Unipotent Stem Cells | Do You Know The 5 Types Of Stem Cells

Finally, we have the unipotent stem cells, which are the least potent and most limited type of stem cell.

An example of this stem cell type would be muscle stem cells.

Muscle Stem Cells

While muscle stem cells can self-renew and differentiate, they can only do so into a single cell type. They are unidirectional in their differentiation capacity.

Purpose of Classifying the Stem Cell Types

The purpose of these stem cell categories is to assess the functional capacity of stem cells based on their differentiation potential.

Importantly, each category has different stem cell research applications, medical applications, and drug development applications.

Different Types of Stem Cells | Do You Know The 5 Types Of Stem Cells

Watch this video and learn about the 5 types of stem cells:

 

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In your opinion, which of the following types of stem cells have the best potential to form any tissue type? Mention them in the comments section below.

To learn more, view: Stem Cell Fact Sheet – Types of Stem Cells and their Use in Medicine

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