The Difference in Stem Cells

Cord-blood stem cells, called hematopoietic cells, often are confused with the controversial embryonic stem cells, but there is an important difference: Cord blood is free of the heated moral debate.

Embryonic stem cells, found in reproductive tissue, have the capability of making hundreds of different kinds of tissues and cells, including brain, heart, liver and skin.

Cord-blood cells can't readily change into alternate tissue. At present, they make only blood and parts of the immune system.

"In the future, those stem cells might be manipulated in the lab so they could make pancreatic tissue if a child developed diabetes, or nervous tissue for Alzheimer's or Parkinson's," said Dr. Michael E. Trigg, chief of the division of blood and bone-marrow transplantation at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Delaware. But using them for the same needs as embryonic cells probably is a ways off, he added.