IN SHORT
Umbilical cord stem cells come from two different sources: cord blood, which contains blood-forming stem cells used in approved transplants, and cord tissue (including Wharton’s jelly), which contains mesenchymal stromal cells. Cord blood transplants are FDA-approved for blood disorders; cord tissue and Wharton’s jelly injections sold by clinics are not approved for any use.
What is umbilical cord stem cells?
Cord blood is the blood left in the umbilical cord and placenta after birth. It is rich in blood-forming (haematopoietic) stem cells. Cord tissue is the cord itself; its jelly-like inner layer, Wharton’s jelly, contains mesenchymal stromal cells. These are different cells with different evidence and rules.
How it works
Cord blood is collected after the cord is clamped, tested, frozen and later transplanted into a vein to rebuild a patient’s blood and immune system. Cord tissue is donated after birth, then processed into injectable products or used to grow MSCs in a lab. Some commercial Wharton’s jelly products are minimally processed tissue, and lab analyses suggest many contain few or no living cells. Clinics inject these into joints or give them by IV drip.
Legal status
In the US, cord blood for unrelated transplant must be FDA-licensed or used under an investigational application, and licensed cord blood is approved for certain blood cancers and inherited blood, immune and metabolic disorders.
Wharton’s jelly and cord-tissue cell products used for joints or other conditions are regulated as drugs (Section 351) and are not approved; the FDA has issued warning letters to firms selling them. In the EU, cord-tissue MSC products are advanced therapy medicinal products needing authorisation. The FDA’s consumer alerts name umbilical cord and Wharton’s jelly products as unapproved.
What the evidence shows
Cord blood transplants have decades of use since the first in 1988, with tens of thousands performed for blood cancers and genetic blood and immune disorders. For cord-tissue MSCs, randomised trials exist in knee arthritis, lung injury and other conditions, but most are small and early-phase.
A 2026 network meta-analysis found umbilical cord MSC injections for knee arthritis had modest or non-significant effects. A 2026 safety review of 42 randomised trials of IV cord MSCs found fever was the main side effect. There is no reliable evidence that commercial Wharton’s jelly injections regenerate tissue.
Commonly marketed for
- Knee, hip and shoulder arthritis
- Back pain and disc problems
- Anti-ageing IV infusions
- Autism and neurological conditions
- Sports injuries
- Hair loss and cosmetic skin treatments
Cost
Typical price range: $1,150 – $12,000. A 2017 survey of 317 US clinics found stem cell knee injections (including donor-derived products) cost $1,150 to $12,000, averaging $5,156. Insurance does not cover unapproved cord-tissue products. Approved cord blood transplants are hospital procedures billed very differently.
Risks
- Infection from contaminated donor products, as seen in a 2018 CDC investigation
- Inadequate donor screening for viruses such as HIV or hepatitis
- Immune reactions to donor tissue
- Pain or swelling after injection
- Paying for products with little or no living cell content
Questions to ask first
- Is this cord blood or cord tissue, and is it FDA-approved for my condition?
- How many living cells does each dose contain, and is there an independent certificate of analysis?
- How was the donor screened for infections?
- What randomised trial evidence supports this use?
Before You Pay: The Stem Cell Clinic Checklist
- 20 questions every legitimate clinic should answer in writing
- A red-flag scorecard to spot unregulated marketing
- Realistic 2026 cost ranges: US, Mexico, Panama & Europe
- How to find a registered clinical trial
Umbilical Cord Stem Cells: FAQs
What is the difference between cord blood and Wharton’s jelly?
Cord blood contains blood-forming stem cells used in approved transplants. Wharton’s jelly is tissue inside the cord that contains mesenchymal stromal cells; products made from it are not FDA-approved.
Are umbilical cord stem cell injections legal in the US?
Clinics can only legally give unapproved cord-tissue cell products within an FDA-authorised trial. Selling them as treatments has led to FDA warning letters.
Do Wharton’s jelly products contain live stem cells?
Independent lab studies suggest many commercial products contain few or no living cells after processing and freezing. Ask for independent test results.
Are cord cells safer because they are ‘young’?
Youth of the cells does not guarantee safety or benefit. Donor products carry infection and immune risks, and their quality depends on how they are processed.
What can cord blood actually treat?
Cord blood transplants are an accepted treatment for certain leukaemias, lymphomas, sickle cell disease and some inherited immune and metabolic disorders.
Related guides
- IV Stem Cell Therapy
- Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs)
- Placental & Amniotic Stem Cell Products
- Exosome Therapy
- PRP vs Stem Cells
- All treatment types · Glossary
Sources
- FDA: Consumer alert on regenerative medicine products including stem cells and exosomes
- FDA: Cord blood banking — information for consumers
- Critical evaluation of compositions and clinical relevance of Wharton’s jelly-derived biologics
- Umbilical cord-derived Wharton’s jelly for regenerative medicine applications (J Orthop Surg Res, 2020)
- Safety of intravascular umbilical-cord-derived MSCs: systematic review and meta-analysis (2026)
- Intra-articular orthobiologics: network meta-analysis (Arthroscopy, 2026)
- CDC: Stem cell and exosome products (infection investigations)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 771: Umbilical cord blood banking (2019)
Last reviewed October 2026. For general information only — not medical advice. We do not endorse any clinic or product. Always consult a qualified, licensed healthcare professional. See our medical disclaimer and editorial policy.