Dianne Díaz Figueroa
Stem cells can be infinitely divided and also can produce specialized cells, reestablishing the principal components of blood when necessary.
Though the umbilical cord blood is not the only way to get stem cells, it is the easiest one because the others sources of stem cells are in the brain and in bone marrow, and these require a major surgery.
The complete potential of stem cells potential is still being studied, but researchers hope that they might be a sort of spare cell for any zone in the organism. We already have proof that stem cells are beneficial for illnesess such as leukemia and anemia among others.
Chile already has its first national public bank to keep blood from umbilical cord, which contain stem cells. The importance of stem cells is that they are fundamental for blood diseases, and these will be at the disposal of any transplant patient in the country.
There are three private stem cell banks in Chile, which means that only relatives to the donor can access the stem cells and they have to pay monthly for the service of criopreservation. Now, with the public bank, donations are accepted and the stem cells are available for those who need them. The obtaining procedure is for free, but the criopreservation service, even when it’s public bank, isn’t free. Doctors in charge say that it will be a lot less expensive than buying the stem cells from other countries. Doctors also said that by now there are no health programs which cover the blood stem cells transplant, but a patient who couldn’t get enough money might be helped by charity organizations.
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