What is Cord Tissue (Known as Wharton’s jelly)

Wharton's jelly is a gelatinous substance found within the umbilical cord. It is a clear, mucous tissue that insulates and protects the umbilical arteries and vein. Wharton's Jelly is a rich source of multi-potent stem cells. Wharton Jelly contains one type of stem cell, which is Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC), that can be extracted only during birth. Once the mesenchymal stem cells are successfully extracted from the Wharton’s Jelly found inside the cord, they would be cryo-preserved in our facility for our clients’ possible future needs.

Currently there are numerous clinical studies looking at the role of MSCs providing potential lead in treating disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis1, Type 1 diabetes2, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal and brain injuries.

Reference:

  1. Yanying Liu, Rong Mu, Shiyao Wang, Li Long, Xia Liu, Ru Li, Jian Sun, Jianping Guo, Xiaoping Zhang, Jing Guo, Ping Yu, Chunlei Li, Xiangyuan Liu, Zhenyu Huang, Dapeng Wang, Hu Li, Zhifeng Gu, Bing Liu and Zhanguo Li. Therapeutic potential of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2010, 12:R210.
  2. Anzalone. R, et al., Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Candidates for Beta Cells Regeneration: Extending the Differentiative and Immunomodulatory Benefits of Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes, June 2011, Volume 7, Issue 2, pp 342-363

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