Stem cells from baby's umbilical cord save life of granddad
Patients with leukaemia need stem cells to replace damaged ones - the blood in the umbilical cord is so immature the recipient can accept the cells more easily. Hundreds of patients could have vital treatment if more stem cells were harvested from newborns. Although a growing number of mums are donating placenta and umbilical cord blood, around 65,000 litres are thrown away every year. Doctors say 80% of transplant requests could be met if 50,000 units of cord blood were saved.
A grandad named David Pyne given just months to live has beaten leukaemia – after getting stem cells from two babies' umbilical cords. The move was the "only option" to save David Pyne, 60, after all other treatments failed. He said of the stem cell transplant: "To think two newborns saved an old man's life is just marvellous and it's given me more time with my own grandchildren."
David Pyne was diagnosed with cancer in August 2012 and had chemotherapy and blood transfusions. He desperately needed a stem cell donor but a match could not be found and he was given just 12 to 18 months to live. But then he was offered cells from the umbilical cords of one baby in America and another in France. He was treated in September at The Christie Hospital in the city. He spent six weeks there and is now in remission. Dr Mike Dennis, director of The Christie's transplant unit, said: "Umbilical cord blood is very rich in stem cells, which being so immature have phenomenal regenerative powers."
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