Human umbilical cord blood is stem cell rich and easily available, and it carries less risk of inducing a graft-versus-host reaction in the recipient. Human umbilical cord blood serum is also noted to contain stem cell–promoting factors, which is why cell isolation was not used in this study. Freshly obtained cord blood was also used because storage of cord blood has been reported to have some negative effects on stem cells. Transplantation of freshly obtained HUCB into the hemisectioned spinal cord experimental model demonstrated clinical and neurophysiological improvement.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.