Cord blood: the cells scientists are still learning to unlock

When your baby is born, the umbilical cord holds blood rich in young stem cells. Doctors already use cord blood in transplants for blood and immune disorders, and researchers keep finding new things these cells can do.

What researchers found

In 2026, scientists from the University of Southern California and Stanford published a study in Cell, one of the world’s leading science journals. They found a way to grow large numbers of granulocyte-monocyte progenitors (GMPs) from human cord blood. GMPs are early “parent” cells that produce the body’s frontline defenders, such as macrophages, which engulf germs and diseased cells. The cord blood used in the study came from StemCyte.

What it showed in the lab and in mice

• They multiplied. Cord blood GMPs grew to very large numbers while keeping their identity.
• They lasted. In mice, GMPs settled in the bone marrow and kept producing immune cells for about 150 days. Ordinary macrophages disappeared within about a week.
• They protected. In mice with a genetic immune disease, GMP treatment improved survival against serious bacterial infection.
• They fought cancer when engineered. Given a "targeting" receptor, GMPs controlled leukemia and solid tumors in mice.

An honest note

This research is early-stage and was done in the lab and in mice. It is not a treatment available to patients today, and no one can promise it will become one.

It does show why cord blood keeps drawing scientists’ attention: the cells are young and unusually versatile, and researchers keep finding new ways to use them.

Why it matters for your family

Cord blood can only be collected at birth, and medicine will keep advancing long after your baby is born. The bank you choose should be one that stays engaged with that science.

StemCyte is AABB and FACT accredited, and our cord blood product REGENECYTE® is FDA-licensed under US License 2280. We also supply cord blood for scientific research, including the cord blood used in this study.