根據「細胞學說」形成的「細胞療法」，是以生物技術將所須的細胞植入生物體內，以執行或取代受損或異常的細胞正常生理功能的治療方法。目的在利用分子細胞生物科學所發展的新科技、新資源和新觀念，處理以往無法解決的醫學難題，以根治或減輕病人疾病的痛苦。此種植入具治療效果的細胞，可來自病患自體的細胞、與病患同一種類卻不同生物個體的細胞、不同種類生物個體的細胞，或是源自實驗室培養的細胞。這些治療的細胞除了可從骨髓取得幹細胞外，還可以從週邊血液收集先驅細胞，或是臍帶血液收集先驅細胞。胎盤（包含臍帶）就是中醫臨床上使用的「紫河車」，具有「補氣、養血、益精」的效果，可以治療虛損、贏瘦。自體的臍帶血液細胞移植最安全也最沒有免疫排斥的問題，所以建立「胎盤銀行」，保存嬰兒出生後原本要丟棄的胎盤，一旦在「生、長、壯、老」發育及老化的過程，細胞受到傷害而被 疾病困擾時，即可取出自體胎盤或是臍帶血管血液的細胞，加以複製、培養，重新注入體內，不僅不會産生排斥，還可以很快的與自體體內的其他細胞融洽相處，共同對抗疾病的進一步侵害。隨著分子生物學的進展，細胞治療已漸漸由基礎研究進入臨床研究及實際之應用。雖然還有一些存在的問題須要克服，「細胞療法」仍舊會是未來醫學治療的新趨勢。

Based on the cell theory and Virchow’s ideas that all organisms are made from cells and their pathologic changes are due to malfunction in cells. cell therapy has emerged as a strategy for the treatment of many human disease. Cell therapy can be defined as the in vivo use of autologous, allogenic, xenogenic cells or cell lines for the prevention. treatment. or attenuation of disease. This therapy method is based on the ability to expand specific cells in tissue culture to perform differentiated tasks and to introduce these cells into the patient either in extracorporeal circuits or as implants as drug delivery vehicles of a single protein to provide physiological functions. Stem cells of bone marrow, peripheral blood progenitor cells, or unbilical cord blood cells transplantations can be performed in patients from either related or unrelated donors. Umbilical cord blood cells from placenta which is the herb drugs of the traditional Chinese medicine maybe as the source of cell therapy. Because transplantation of autologous cell from umbilical cord blood is safe. immunologically privileged, and no ethical issues, bank of the placenta deserves special consideration for cell therapy.