| ADULT STEM CELLS: | Stem cells that are harvested from mature human tissue. |
| ALLOGENEIC: | A transplant that involves using stem cells that are harvested from a person other than the recipient of the stem cells. |
| AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF BLOOD BANKS: | The leading organization that accredits umbilical cord blood banks. |
| AUTOLOGOUS: | A transplant that involves using stem cells that are harvested from the same person receiving the transplant. |
| CORD BLOOD BANKING: | A method of storing stem cells collected from fetal umbilical cord blood over a prolonged period of time. |
| CORD BLOOD DONATION: | Cord blood that is given to a public bank to be used by anyone in need. |
| CORD BLOOD STORAGE: | Freezing cord blood for future use in transplants. Cord blood samples are usually stored in liquid nitrogen and are contained in either bags or vials in the freezer. |
| CORD BLOOD: | Blood that is present in the umbilical cord. |
| DIFFERENTIATION: | The process in which scientists influence the manipulation of stem cells through different signals or chemicals. |
| EMBRYO: | A fertilized egg that has begun to divide but is still in the earliest stages of development. |
| HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS: | Stem cells harvested from human embryos. These stem cells have the ability to become almost any other type of cell. |
| GRAFT vs. HOST DISEASE: | A potentially fatal complication arising after a transplant wherein the transplant recipient's body recognizes the new stem cells as foreign and attacks them. |
| HUMAN LEUKOCYTE ANTIGENS (HLA): | A protein that is found on cells that must be matched between a donor and a transplant recipient before a transplant can take place. |
| PLASTICITY: | The ability to which a stem cell can be manipulated into becoming another type of cell. |
| PRIVATE CORD BLOOD BANK: | A cord blood bank that allows a family to store their cord blood samples for a fee. This blood is reserved for sole use by the family. |
| PUBLIC CORD BLOOD BANK: | A cord blood bank that accepts donations and stores the samples for free. This blood can be used by anyone. |
| SIGNALS: | Stem cells genes are controlled by internal signals. Possible external signals include chemical secretions, physical contact with neighboring cells or molecules in the microenvironment. |
| STEM CELLS: | A cell that has the ability to become almost any other type of cell in the body. |
