Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are cells capable of self-renewal and differentiation into specialized blood tissue and immune system cells. In medicine, their importance is evidenced by their routine use in the treatment of onco-hematological and immunologic diseases. The difficulty of finding compatible bone marrow donors has motivated the search for alternative sources of HSC, notably placental/umbilical cord blood (PUCB). The number of PUCB units stored worldwide has been increasing since 1990. In 2004, the BrasilCord network was created, establishing a national network of PUCB banks with the aim of increasing the chances of finding donors and expanding the number of PUCB banks in the country. Despite the small volume collected and the greater amount of time required for the regeneration of the hematopoietic tissue, the blood concentration of HSC in PUCB is higher, their use as a source for HSC for transplantation presents a lower risk of causing graft versus host disease and they are more easily obtained compared to HSC originating from the bone marrow.
Hematopoietic stem cells; umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation; cell transplantation
