Harvesting stem cells could safeguard against future diseases

Stem cells were collected from Liza Ackermann's baby boy's umbilical cord and stored to ward off future illness.

Liza and her husband, Brahm, a doctor, are from South Africa but have lived in Coleraine for three years.

They said that harvesting stem cells at this stage, could save the child's life in the future.

"Stem cells are like the master cells of the body," Dr Brahm Ackermann said.

"Therefore, they can be used for people who have heart problems.

"They could also be used to treat cancer, especially leukaemia, multiple scleroris, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's Disease."

If this child should develop Parkinson's, or cancer, Alzheimer's or a heart defect, by that time, technology would have progressed to such a level that you could use these stem cells to fight or even cure these illnesses Liza Ackermann

The cells were harvested on Tuesday as Mrs Ackermann gave birth to a baby boy by caesarean section at the Causeway Hospital, Coleraine.

Speaking shortly before she left for hospital, Mrs Ackermann said that it was a straightforward procedure.

Half an hour after the cells were harvested, they were collected from hospital by courier to be transported 10,000 miles to Capetown, South Africa.

There, they will be extracted and crygenically frozen for 40 years.

'Insurance'

Liza Ackermann said it was a kind of "insurance policy" for her child.

"If, in future, this child should develop Parkinson's, or cancer, Alzheimer's or a heart defect, by that time technology would have progressed to such a level that you could then use these stem cells to fight or even cure these illnesses, if they arise," she said.

Frank Barry, Professor of Cellular Therapy at the University of Galway and scientific director of the Regenerative Medicine Institute said evidence of the usefulness of stem cells was growing.

"I think a lot of people are becoming quite interested in umbilical cord banking," he said.

"The umblical cord is a very rich source of stem cells. We are seeing more evidence that stem cells can be therapeutically very useful and are likely to be widely used in the future to treat a broad variety of diseases."

"So, it may be very sensible to consider harvesting the cord blood and storing it until some time in the future when those stem cells could possibly be used."

Professor Barry said data suggested that the number of cases where stem cells were retrieved from the cord cell bank was still quite small.

"Examples would be the use of stem cells to treat siblings who have leukaemia for instance."