<aside> 💡 Parents bank umbilical cord blood, tissue, and placenta stem cells because they can be used to replace or repair damaged cells in the case of injury or disease.
</aside>
"Stem cells are the body's raw materials - cells from which other cells with specialized functions are generated." [Source: Mayo Clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bone-marrow-transplant/in-depth/stem-cells/art-20048117#:~:text=Stem cells are the body's raw materials — cells from which,more cells called daughter cells.&text=No other cell in the,to generate new cell types.)
Source: University of Nebraska Medical Center
Adult stem cells are tissue-specific or blood-forming, meaning they are more mature than embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells. More mature stem cells are more stable and less likely to have unwanted mutations. (Source: Nature)
Unlike adult stem cells (those found in umbilical cord blood, tissue, and the placenta), embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells are so immature and unstable that they even have "the potential for increased frequency of serious cancer-causing mutations." (Source: University of Exeter)
Umbilical cord blood, tissue, and placenta can potentially be used for the baby themselves, but also siblings and possibly other family members.