After your baby is born, your health care professional will obtain a segment of the umbilical cord (approximately 15cm in length) called cord tissue. Cord tissue can be collected and processed in addition to cord blood. Progenics’ cord tissue collection kit contains all the supplies your healthcare provider needs for the collection of your baby’s cord tissue. The Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells (UC-MSCs) have more primitive properties than adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells. UC-MSCs have a greater expansion ability in vitro and faster doubling time than adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells which might make them a useful source for clinical applications.

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Cord tissue, specifically the Wharton’s Jelly portion that we cryopreserve in our processing laboratory, is considered a rich source of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) which have the ability to regenerate themselves in addition to their potential to differentiate into various specialized cells such as bone cells, cartilage cells and fat cells among others. The mentioned cells can be used in regenerative medicine to potentially treat specific medical conditions. MSCs are related to a lower risk of rejection and transplant complications.

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Currently, MSCs are the subject of over 300 clinical trials with the potential to someday treat conditions such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, skin burns and injuries to bones and cartilage. It holds promise to treat various acute and degenerative diseases as well as immune-medicated diseases.