The Placenta

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The placenta is a unique source of biological material for regenerative cell therapies.  Placental tissue has been used as a biosorbent for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.  Human placental tissues are collected at full-term delivery. Placental extracts are rich in a wide range of proteins, minerals, amino acids, and steroid hormones, and are utilized for the treatment of a wide variety of pathological conditions—most commonly in surgery, neurology, gynecology, and dermatology, and specifically in the treatment of wounds, nonhealing ulcers, and burns.  Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) receive a great deal of attention from the medical researchers.  MSCs obtained from all placental sources express are shown to be able to differentiate in numerous cell types, and possess high proliferation rates in comparison to the cells from other sources, which are highly valuable in reconstructive therapies.

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Cord Blood

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Umbilical cord blood is an easily accessible rich source of hematopoietic stem cells which is an alternative to bone marrow. High rates of success are achieved with allogenic transplantation of umbilical cord blood cells for the treatment of the patients with hematologic and metabolic pathologies.

Public banks of donated cord blood are essential for patients of color and/or mixed ancestry.  Cord Blood contains stem cells that can grow into blood and immune system cells, as well as other types of cells. Cord blood is often used as a substitute for bone marrow in stem cell transplants. There are over 90 diseases treated this way, including cancers, blood disorders, genetic and metabolic diseases. Cord blood donation costs the parents nothing, but can give birth to hope for a patient in need.  The majority of programs that accept cord blood donations require the mother to sign up in advance. For the safety of any person who might receive the cord blood donation, the mother must pass a health history screening. And for ethical reasons, the mother must give informed consent.

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Amniotic and Chorionic Membranes

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Amniotic membrane is used in surgery as a biological coating.  Most often, the amniotic membrane is used in ophthalmology for the closure of corneal pathology defects. Application of amniotic and chorionic membranes is also convenient for the treatment of nonhealing trophic ulcers, vaginal reconstruction surgery, enterocutaneous fistula, prevention of adhesions, orthopedic pathology, replacement of the pelvic peritoneum, and other treatments.

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Amniotic Fluid

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Amniotic fluid is rarely used in experimental and clinical studies compared to the other placental material due to a smaller number of cells and the active compounds, as well as due to the difficulty of obtaining under sterile conditions. Nevertheless, certain researchers reported the efficiency of the amniotic fluid in bone healing, regeneration of nerve tissue, and prevention of epidural fibrosis.