Methods of Isolation and Cryopreservation of Stem Cells from Cord Blood

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Successful reconstitution of the hematopoietic system by umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells has sparked interest in large-scale banking of UCB. This would only be feasible if UCB samples could be frozen in small volumes. Early efforts to fractionate UCB produced significant losses of stem and progenitor cells. Several groups have proposed techniques to concentrate the stem/progenitor cell fraction of UCB, with good recovery. These are described, together with the principles of cryopreservation of stem cells. It seems feasible to store UCB samples on a large scale, although the different fractionation methods need to be compared, and the optimal, most efficient technique must be determined.