How are Stem Cells Collected?

How are Stem Cells Collected?
by Michelle De Vera, M.D., FAAAAI

In our previous column, we discussed what stem cells are and where do they come from. Now the next question you probably have in mind is this: How are stem cells collected?

Throughout our life, our body needs the capacity to grow, to develop, to repair itself every day. Our cells and tissues have their own finite lifespans, and the mechanism by which these are maintained and repaired is with the help of stem cells.

In many organs, there are “stem cell niches,” areas known to be centers of regeneration for a particular tissue. Here, cells may remain quiescent or non-dividing, until they are activated by a normal need for upkeep, or by disease and tissue injury. These niches have been identified in the bone marrow, circulating peripheral blood, blood vessels, adipose tissue, skin, brain, heart and liver, among others.

In cellular therapy, because of the ease of collection, safety profile, and lack of ethical issues in their use, adult or mature stem cells are typically collected from the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood and tissues.

At the Institute of Personalized Molecular Medicine (IPMM) of The Medical City (TMC), the collection of stem cells from the bone marrow is done through a process called bone marrow aspiration. In this outpatient procedure, stromal stem cells are aspirated fromthe hip bone.

The patient himself is usually his own donor, and with minimal preparation, he is seen in an ambulatory setting where generally, only local anesthesia is required and injected in the hip area. A needle larger than what is typically used for blood transfusion is then used by a Hematologist to go through the overlying skin and tissue, to get to the hip bone which is then punctured. Once in the bone, aspiration via a syringe is done to collect the sample of bone marrow. The whole procedure typically takes less than an hour, and after giving the patient time for recovery, he is sent home walking about with nothing more than a band aid to cover the puncture site.

Stem cells can also sometimes be collected from the blood circulation through a process similar to blood transfusion, called leukapheresis. The main difference is the need to use a leukapheresis machine, which is designed to segregate the components of blood (such as the red blood cells, white blood cells, and serum). With this machine, only the needed components are collected, with the rest of the blood returned to the patient. At the IPMM, it is also usually done on an outpatient basis, with the whole procedure and recovery period lasting about half a day.

Umbilical cord blood and tissue collection is done during childbirth, and is the simplest to obtain. These are taken during the process of delivery, and are routinely discarded. If these samples are to be collected for purposes of cellular therapy, there is no additional risk to the mother or the infant.

The IPMM staff are present in the delivery room and do the collection and preparation of the specimen in a sterile manner, without getting in the way of the Obstetricians. The IPMM offers the service for people who want to save the samples for their own use in the future via the Directed Donor Program, and also for those who simply want to donate to the umbilical cord bank via the Non-Directed Donor Program.

All collected samples are then brought to the IPMM Laboratory for further processing. Depending on the state of the donor tissue, and the intended use for the cells, a patient may use his own cells, or from an appropriately-matched donor, who may be a relative, or from the umbilical cord bank.

About IPMM

IPMM is a unit of The Medical City focused on the ethical delivery of personalized molecular medicine treatments. The backbone of the IPMM is Regenerative Medicine, a revolutionary field involving the engineering of cells and other biomaterials with the goals of restoring organ function lost or impaired due to disease or injury, and improving the quality of life.

IPMM is one of the very few accredited Human Stem Cell and Cell-based Therapy Programs in the country, with accreditation granted by the Department of Health in in November 2014.

For appointments and inquiries, please call TMC-IPMM at (632) 988 1000 / (632) 988 7000 loc 6307 / 6551, or visit www.themedicalcity.com.