Glossary

Allogeneic transplant
When stem cells are donated from one person and transplanted into another person to be used as a treatment for certain illnesses and conditions.

Adipocytes
Adipocytes are one of the cells found in baby teeth that have the ability to repair damaged cardiac tissue following a heart attack.

Autologous transplant
When stem cells are taken from a person and then transplanted into the same person to be used as a treatment for certain illnesses and conditions.

Cell expansion technology
This allows doctors to increase the number of stem cells in a unit in a controllable way. Cell expansion technology research is progressing well and medical researchers across the globe believe that stem cell therapy has the potential to revolutionise the treatment of human disease.

Chondrocytes
Chondrocytes are cells that have the ability to generate cartilage and have been found in baby teeth.

Collection
This takes place after birth and is the process of collecting umbilical cord blood stem cells using a tube with a needle on one end and a bag on the other.

Cryogenic
The process of freezing tooth cells at very low temperatures using special techniques, so that the cells' potential is safely preserved for long periods of time.

Leukaemia
Is a cancer of the blood forming system, the blood forming system is found in the bone marrow. In leukaemia, some blood cells do not grow properly, but remain within the bone marrow and continue to reproduce in an uncontrolled way. These cells fill up the bone marrow and prevent it from making healthy white blood cells. This means the body is less able to fight off infections. There are many different kinds of leukaemia.

Mesenchymal
Mesenchymal stem cells are the most potent of all the tooth cells as they have the ability to form chrondrocyte, osteoblast and adipocyte cells as well as tendon, ligaments, muscle and nerve.

Osteoblasts
Osteoblasts are cells that have the ability to generate bone and have been found in baby teeth.

Processing
The way in which the cells found in baby teeth are extracted, counted, tested and frozen ready for long-term storage.

Regenerative medicine
This is about treatments in development that, in the future, may be able to treat diseases and injuries by using stem cells to repair or regenerate damaged cells and tissues in the body.

Stem cell
A special kind of cell that can divide many times to make exact copies of itself, or to make specialised cells that do a particular task in the body for example a blood cell, bone cell or liver cell. Some people call stem cells 'master' cells or 'blank' cells because they can change into so many different types of cell.

Tooth Cell
These are the cells extracted from your child's tooth. It has recently been discovered that deciduous (baby) teeth contain early cells which have the potential to grow on to be used in a variety of treatments. In the average tooth there are at least 4 types of cells, chrondrocyte, osteoblast, adipocyte and very potent mesenchymal stem cells.

Transplantation
Taking cells, tissues, or organs and placing them into the same person or a different person to treat disease.

BioEden only offer the storage of tooth cells for autologous transplants.