Umbilical cord serum has been shown to be safe and effective in the treatment of neurotrophic keratitis, dry eye syndrome, persistent epithelial defects, and chemical burns (Ref 1-11). Both autologous serum and umbilical cord serum contain multiple growth factors like epidermal growth factor (EGF), acidic and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF), platelet-derived growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, vitamin A, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, substance P, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, nerve growth factor (NGF), fibronectin, and serum antiproteases such as α2-macroglobulin (Ref 4-8) The concentrations of EGF, TGF-β, and NGF are several times higher in umbilical cord serum than the peripheral blood serum (more references below).
Below are good reviews on the published literature on using CBS for ocular surface diseases.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7196109/#!po=38.8889
https://drcremers.com/2018/07/umbilical-cord-blood-for-dry-eyes-cord.html
CBS drops are not FDA-approved.
References:
. 2013 Apr;32(4):412-8.
doi: 10.1097/ICO.0b013e3182580762.
Efficacy of standardized and quality-controlled cord blood serum eye drop therapy in the healing of severe corneal epithelial damage in dry eye
- PMID: 22955120
- DOI: 10.1097/ICO.0b013e3182580762
Abstract
Purpose: We standardized quality-controlled cord blood serum (CBS)-based eye drops and evaluated the efficacy of 1-month CBS treatment in the healing of diseased corneal epithelium in severe dry eye (DE) patients.
Methods: Seventeen graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and 13 Sjogren syndrome patients with severe persistent corneal defects were enrolled in the framework of a registered clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01234623). Sterile CBS eye drops were prepared to supply 0.15 ng per eye per day epithelial growth factor and administered for 1 month in a 1-day dose dispensing. The extent of epithelial defect was evaluated in square millimeters area, and subjective symptom score (Ocular Surface Disease Index score), Schirmer test I, break-up time, tear osmolarity, corneal esthesiometry (Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer), conjunctival scraping, and imprint cytology with goblet cell count were performed at baseline (V0) and after 15 (V1) and 30 (V2, endpoint) days of treatment. Satisfaction and tolerability questionnaires were evaluated at V1 and V2.
Results: A significant reduction was shown at the endpoint versus baseline in corneal epithelial damage (mean ± SD, 16.1 ± 13.7 vs. 40.9 ± 30 mm²/area, respectively), discomfort symptoms (Ocular Surface Disease Index score, 22.3 ± 10.3 vs. 39.3 ± 16.9), scraping cytology score (3.8 ± 1.2 vs. 6.6 ± 2.1), and tear osmolarity (312.5 ± 7 vs. 322 ± 9.1 mOsm/L), whereas a significant improvement was shown in corneal esthesiometry (48.2 ± 2.1 vs. 49.7 ± 2.1 nylon/mm/length, P < 0.05). All patients reported a high degree of satisfaction upon drop instillation.
Conclusions: Heterologous CBS-based eye drops represent a promising therapeutic approach in the healing of severely injured corneal epithelium and in subjective symptom relief. These drops can be obtained as readily available and quality-controlled blood derivative from cord blood banks on a routine basis.
Other CBS Uses:
Human umbilical cord blood serum can replace fetal bovine serum in the culture of mesenchymal stem cells
Abstract
The potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to differentiate into different cell types has opened up the possibility of using these cells clinically to treat a variety of disorders. In this study we describe the use of human umbilical cord blood serum (CBS) as a replacement for fetal bovine serum (FBS) for culturing MSC from different sources. MSC from human and swine bone marrow and human umbilical cord blood were cultured in the presence of DMEM/F12 containing either FBS or CBS. Human MSC cultured in presence of FBS or CBS showed typical fibroblast‐like morphology, which is characteristic of MSC. 99% of the cells cultured in FBS had a CD73+/CD105+/CD45− phenotype compared to 96% of cells cultured in CBS. Cells cultured in CBS had a significantly higher cell count as compared to cells cultured in FBS. Swine Bone Marrow MSC cultured in the presence of FBS and CBS were morphologically and phenotypically similar. Human umbilical cord blood serum supports the growth of MSC. While no significant differences were observed in the MSC numbers in swine cells cultured in the presence of FBS or CBS, human cells showed a greater proliferation potential in the presence of CBS as compared to FBS. Therefore, CBS can be used as an effective substitute to FBS for developing clinically useful protocols for culturing MSC