ABSTRACT:
Umbilical cord blood banking has become an important way where parents will make a biological insurance policy that can be used by the child or family members in case of life threatening diseases and several blood related transplantations. As umbilical cord blood is free from ethical dilemmas, and the cells are non-tumorogenic, less immunological and proliferative in nature they provide a significant advantage over other sources. Umbilical cord is the connection between growing fetus and the mother which acts as the carrier of nutrients, helps in exchange of gases etc., the length of umbilical cord is about 20 inches and is a fruitful source of stem cells. In the present scenario of about 190 million global births, umbilical cord blood is considered to be the best reservoir of cells. The cord blood cellshave regenerative potentiality and many significant clinical applications. During olden days the umbilical cord blood had been used only againsthemopoietic disorders but now its spectrum of activity has been exposed to the non-hemopoietic conditions such as regenerative cell therapy and immune modulation. Thus, umbilical cord blood collection, banking has become a popular option. This review discusses about composition, collection, banking, and storage of umbilical cord blood, current research trends and their multiple clinical applications in new era of therapies.