The blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta after a child is born is called cord blood. The rarity of cord blood is that it contains stem cells that don't occur later in life. The most important ones are hematopoietic stem cells.

Cord blood is used in the treatment of over 80 serious illnesses such as leukemia, lymphomas, organ tumors and both inherited and acquired disorders of metabolism, immunity and hematopoiesis. Quick access to our own hematopoietic cells could increase the chance of recovery.