Who Can Bank Umbilical Cord Blood ?
Acording to current statistics only three percent of new parents are currently opting to bank their newborn child’s umbilical cord blood. The main reason for this appears to be down to the cost involved. It can currently cost from $1500 to $2000 for the initial collection and processing of the umbilical cord blood, plus annual storage fees which range from $50 to $150. If you have the financial means and can afford to bank you child’s umbilical cord blood then you should definitely be considering it. The potential benefits are practically without limit. There are even some people claiming that cord blood stem cells could be the answer to immortality. Of course this is just hype but it isn’t totally untrue. There are definitely real implications that stem cell research will lead to the eradication of some diseases.
Donating umbilical cord blood for no cost
Anybody can choose to donate umbilical cord blood following the birth of their child for no cost. The umbilical cord blood stem cells are then placed in a public cord blood bank that can be used by anyone. This is in some ways similar to an organ bank however it is significantly more effective as stem cells do not need to be an exact genetic match for them to be used. The question is if public cord blood banks can be used to benefit so many people why would a person decide to use a private cord blood bank ? The primary reason a family might want to store their own child’s cord blood privately would be if they already have a family member who has or had cancer or another disease that could be treated using a stem cell transplant, or because they want to ensure the stem cells are available to them in the future.
Umbilical Cord Blood and The U.S. Stem Cell Research and Therapeutic Act
The Stem Cell Research and Therapeutic Act was enacted to create a national umbilical cord blood program, which provides federal funding for the collection, storage of cord blood to be used in blood cell transplants. The program holds a national inventory of 150,000 cord blood units for public use and maintains a registry network which is linked to the national marrow donor registry, which is administered by the National Marrow Donor Program.
Filed under Cord Blood And Stem Cell by on Jul 5th, 2010. 4 Comments. 
Cord Blood Bank
Any time a mother is expecting a baby, the umbilical cord acts as the life support system between mother and baby. Using a cord blood bank is vital because after the umbilical cord is removed following the child’s birth, you will no longer have the prospect of retaining the special cells contained in the umbilical cord that happen to be a perfect match with the baby which you may have stored.
If you preserve your child’s stem cells by means of cord blood banking, your child is going to possess a guaranteed supply of perfectly matched cells which can help your son or daughter in the unfortunate event that they develop a life threatening disease. The stored stem cells can be utilized when trying to fight this disease. All you’ve got to do is request that the umbilical cord and the cord blood it contains are retained after your delivery.
So what are the illnesses that can be treated using umbilical cells stored in a cord blood bank? Stem cells which have been stored in a cord blood bank can be used in the treatment of the following life-threatening illnesses: leukemia, lymphoma, breast cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, aplastic anemia, many other cancers, sickle cell anemia,certain blood diseases, hereditary/genetic conditions and various immune system disorders. There are approximately 14 million new cancer types that are being recoded each year. Single cell transplants that can be treated using cord blood include ling cancer, AIDS, lupus, multiple sclerosis and many other genetic diseases, with more being identified all the time.
Cord Blood Bank
You might also be wondering if the cord blood you plan to bank can be used by your other children. The cord blood you bank will be a perfect match for the child who’s umbilical cord the cord blood comes from, however, if you have another child the cord blood you have previously banked may be a close enough match that it could be used to treat them as well. Obviously it makes sense to bank the cord blood for each child to guarantee a perfect match, but you may not be in a position financially to do it for each child. There is the 1 in 4 chance that the cord blood banked from one sibling will prove to be beneficial for another of your children. Relatives or other close friends who haven’t banked any cord blood may also benefit from the stem cells you have had stored, although only if they are a close enough match with the cord blood banking donor’s stem cells.
How are the stem cells actually collected so they can be stored in a cord blood bank? The collection process takes place immediately after the delivery of a baby after the cord has been cut from the newborn child. It does not in any way interfere with the birth of your baby. The attending physician, nurse or even the midwife will collect the cord blood for banking by placing the umbilical cord in a sterile container which is usually provided by your chosen Cord Blood Bank. The collected cord blood is then sealed in this specially designed package and then delivered direct to the cord blood bank’s laboratory where it is tested and prepared for storage. Once the necessary tests are complete, the sample is cryogenically stored in the cord blood bank until it is needed by the child.
Some parents are concerned when it comes to cord blood banking as to how safe the cord blood will be once in the cord blood bank. According the the New York State Department of Health, there is no evidence that cord blood stem cells stored at minus 196 degrees Celsius lose either in vitro-determined viability or biological activity. Current data reflects that cord blood cells stored for fifteen years have the same composition as they did at the time of storage. All data so far gathered in the cryogenic storage of cells also indicates that the cells should remain viable indefinitely.
Now you have a better understanding of the benefits, procedures and safety of using a Cord Blood Bank, you are better prepared to make a decision in your own personal situation.
Filed under Cord Blood Bank by on Jun 28th, 2010. Comment.
Are you wondering about whether or not you should contact your local cord blood bank?
The concept of cord blood banking has seen much increased acceptance in the past ten years. Right now people are seriously considering bank their infant’s cord blood. In the past, the umbilical cord used to be discarded after the child was actually delivered, however with increasing recognition of how beneficial the blood of the umbilical cord is, the medical professionals have now started to store the blood of the umbilical cord in cord blood banks.
After a good deal of doctors research has been performed on what can be done with the umbilical cord researchers have uncovered that it is very beneficial to store the umbilical cord in a cord blood bank. The blood from the umbilical cord is extremely helpful in dealing with several diseases associated with the immune system and also other blood related disorders which people suffer from. Until the mid 1990s the umbilical blood was never stored in a cord blood bank; however after the mid 1990s medical professionals have started to appreciate the magnitude of umbilical blood and are now circulating awareness of the need for storing umbilical blood in a cord blood bank.
The developing importance of the Cord blood bank
The most basic reason why people are now looking into using a cord blood bank is due to the fact that the umbilical blood is considered to be so precious. This is because it consists of high amount of hematopoietic stem cells and can be stored in the cord blood banks safely for years. The importance of having a high quantity of hematopoietic stem cells is that this particular type of blood has the capability to generating new white blood cells and red blood cells. The model behind the use of cord blood is similar to that of bone marrow transplants which have been in use for a long time. However unlike the bone marrow which needs to be matched perfectly, the utilization of the umbilical blood does not necessitate such a perfect match.
There are much increased chances of treating an ailment with the use of umbilical blood than there have ever been with the bone marrow transplants since the odds of a patient’s body rejecting the umbilical blood are much less in comparison to his odds of rejecting the bone marrow.
The ongoing stem cell research shows that there are almost 70 diseases that can be cured with the use of the umbilical cord blood. It is for this reason that increasingly more people are finally starting to store their baby’s umbilical cord blood in a local cord blood bank. The cord blood is not only helpful for the child whose umbilical cord blood is kept, but this blood can also be useful to the family members of the children as well. The use of umbilical blood is vital due to the fact that research proves that the use of the umbilical blood could aid in curing cancer, damaged internal organs as well as blood disorders, which is one of the foremost reasons why quite a lot of people are opting to use a cord blood bank service.
Anyone who wants to have their baby’s umbilical blood stored should try to pick out a cord blood bank well before the birth of your newborn because not all hospitals are equipped collect and transfer the umbilical blood to the cord blood bank. If this is the case you would need to select the cord blood bank and inform your doctor approximately 2 months in advance so that you can rationalize the course of paperwork and preparation for the collection and storage of your baby’s umbilical cord blood to the cord blood bank.
Dh and I have started to research cord blood banking and we found this program where they will let you privately bank for free. I haven’t heard too much about this before. Has anyone else heard about it? Here’s the link to the program: http://cordblood.com/newborn/?id=000667
Filed under Stem Cell by on Mar 26th, 2010. 4 Comments.