Why Save Baby Cord Blood and How to Bank it?

Cord blood banking has become an increasingly discussed topic among the expectant parents. Blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord is termed as cord blood or CB. Why save baby cord blood? Since this blood is rich in stem cells, it can be used for life-saving transplants and regenerative medicine research. Cord blood was used for the first time in 1988, in order to cure Fanconi Anemia. And from that time onwards, there was no looking back as several breakthroughs happened in the field of stem cell research. Currently cord blood is used to treat more than 80 life threatening conditions which include but are not limited to blood disorders, metabolic disorders, immunodeficiencies and certain types of cancer. On the other hand, the medical applications of umbilical cord tissue are yet to be discovered. Several clinical trials are underway exploring the potential applications and benefits of umbilical cord tissue. 

Expectant parents who wish to insure the health of their baby opt for private cord blood banking services. If you are contemplating with the idea of banking your new-born’s cord blood, then there are a few things you need to bear in mind. Banking your baby’s cord blood in a family cord blood bank is going to cost you a pretty penny. And that is why it is essential to research about various private cord blood banking prices. Planning ahead and conducting detailed research can help you choose a reputed family cord blood bank. Enquiring about the accreditation, facilities and banking costs of the bank is important. If the private cord blood banking prices are out of your budget range, then you think about donating your new-born’s CB to a public bank. Donations to a public cord blood bank are used for life-saving stem cell transplants and medical research purposes. Either way, you are making a valuable contribution to the mankind.

Cord Blood Banking to Insure Your Child’s Health

Cord blood, once discarded as medical waste has gained life-saving status these days. Blood present in the umbilical cord and placenta is a rich source of stem cells. No need to repeat the spiel about the benefits of stem cells. Also known as master cells, these units are considered as the building blocks of human body.  They are capable of dividing and renewing themselves. Though they are unspecialised, these cells can give rise to specialised tissues and cell types. These are some of the significant properties that make stem cells unique. When scientists discovered the abundant presence of stem cells in the umbilical cord tissue and cord blood, it was a milestone in the field of regenerative medicine research. Currently, cord blood stem cells are used to treat more than 80 life threatening conditions whereas the clinical application of umbilical cord tissue is yet under the experimental stage. 

Cord blood or CB contains blood-forming haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and cord tissue contains mesenchymal stem cells. Blood-forming stem cells of CB are used for transplant procedure of leukaemia patients. Some of the major diseases that can be treated with cord blood include leukaemia, blood and bone marrow disorders, cancer and immune deficiencies. Cord blood stem cell transplants are a great alternative to the bone marrow transplants. Ongoing research and advancements have made the cord blood banking and treatments more popular and affordable.

Number of expectant parents opting for the private cord blood banking is rising. Majority of them bank their newborn’s CB as a type of health insurance for the child and family.  On the other hand, parents who can’t afford to bank their baby’s CB may think about donating it to a public cord bank. Stem cells donated to the public bank are not only used for life-saving transplants, but also for research and clinical trials.

Major Benefits of Stem Cell Research

If you have heard about the stem cell research, then you might be familiar with its surrounding controversies also. Stem cells, also known as the master cells have a remarkable potential to treat many life-threatening conditions. Currently, these cells are used for various transplants and medical applications. Moreover, several clinical trials and research works are underway exploring its potential to treat even more debilitating conditions in future. Applications and benefits of stem cell research are many.

Transplants are one of the major applications of stem cell research. Master cells with renewal properties can restore the function of a damaged or dysfunctional cell. However, harvesting the master cells is not an easy task. Until recently, stem cells were collected from bone marrow for the transplants. But the discovery of cell presence in the newborn baby cord blood was a major milestone. Blood left in the placenta and umbilical cord after the child birth contains enormous number of stem cells. Both cord blood and umbilical cord tissue are harvested and stored for treatments and research purpose. Cord blood contains hematopoieticstem cells (HSCs), whereas umbilical cord tissue contains mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Currently newborn baby cord blood is used for treating more than eighty diseases which includes but are not limited to leukaemia, inherited blood disorders and inherited metabolic disorders. 

Stem cells have the unique ability to differentiate into specialised cell types and can keep on renewing themselves. Such properties can be exploited to treat a wide range of diseases. Regenerative medicine research and studies focus on exploiting the potential of stem cells to reverse diseases. According to the scientists, stem cells can act as an ultimate body repair kit and holds the promise of strengthening body’s natural healing abilities. Some of the promising applications of cord blood banking include the treatment of spinal cord injuries, cardio vascular diseases, Parkinson’s disease, type I diabetes, genetic defects and burn victims. 

What is Cord Blood Banking & Why You should opt it?

If you are an expectant parent, then you may have heard about the baby blood cord banking. Like most people, you may be wondering about the special features of the so-called cord blood. What is cord blood and what makes it so special? Blood present in the placenta and umbilical cord is termed as cord blood (CB). In addition to the normal elements of blood such as red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma, CB is rich in stem cells (Hematopoietic Stem Cells). Powerful stem cells can give rise to any tissue or organ cells of the body. Moreover, these master cells are unspecialised and can be used to replace or repair the tissues that have been damaged by diseases. Not only the cord blood, but the cord tissue also contains Mesenchymal Stem cells (MSCs) that have afforded promise in the treatment of medical conditions affecting cartilage, muscle and nerve cells. According to the scientists, cord tissue benefits and applications have a great role to play in the future of regenerative medicine research.

So now you are clear about what cord blood is. But have you ever thought how stem cells can treat the cancer conditions? Let us consider lymphoma as an example. It is a form of cancer that affects the lymphatic system (Immune system of our body). During the first stage, cancerous cells in the bone marrow are destroyed through chemotherapy and radiation procedures. The next step is to transplant the stem cells in bone marrow so that it can restore the function by producing blood forming cells and tissues of the body. As we mentioned earlier, cord blood stem cells have self-renewal properties which makes it a perfect alternative for bone marrow transplant. Moreover, umbilical cord blood possesses little risk of graft-versus-host disease which helps it to integrate with the body better. Currently, umbilical cord blood is used to treat more than 80 diseases including cancers, blood disorders, immune deficiency conditions and more. So to cut short, baby cord blood banking and cord blood donation is a life-saving medical service that you can opt for.

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Why You Should Give a Thought to Cord Blood Stem Cell Banking?

The field of stem cell biology has advanced the most over the last decade and the advancing technologies offer unique promise of regenerative medicine applications. Even though the embryonic stem cell harvesting and research has been surrounded by the social controversies, cord blood banking has managed to gain acceptance worldwide. Umbilical cord blood (CB), as the name indicates, is the blood present in the umbilical cord and placenta of the new born. According to the scientific findings, this blood is a rich source of stem cells. If you have been thinking about the significance of stemcell banking, then let us explain. Stem cells, also known as master cells possess self-renewal capability, which means it can act as an internal repair system. Differentiation and unspecialized nature are some of the unique properties that make stem cells highly valuable. Until recently, these master cells were harvested from blood and bone marrow. But with the discovery of stem cell presence in umbilical cord blood tissue, researchers have been encouraging the banking of new-born’s CB.  

Newborn baby’s cord blood can be either stored at a private bank or donated through a public bank. If you are an expectant parent, then it is essential to think through decisions. You may spend some time in research in order to check out the benefits of private cord blood banking and public cord blood donation. Once you are clear about the advantages of umbilical cord blood tissue storage and banking, you may have a detailed discussion with your doctor and family members. Have a look at your family health history to check whether there are any inherited diseases or conditions. If you are contemplating with the idea of banking your newborn baby’s cord blood,then make it a point to explore more about the private facilities. Keep in mind that CB cells have a remarkable potential to save lives and it would be a big mistake to discard it.

Milestones in Baby Cord Blood Banking History

Umbilical cord blood banking is a relatively new procedure that has been gaining wide acceptance over the past decade. Blood present in the umbilical cord and placenta is a rich source of adult stem cells. In the past, it was discarded as medical waste. But nowadays, after the child birth, the blood present in the cord is drawn to the sterile collection bank and sent to banks for storage or donation. Baby cord blood can be used to treat more than 80 diseases including cancers, blood disorders and immune deficiencies. Leukemia is one of the most common life-threatening conditions that can be treated with the umbilical cord blood stem cells. Moreover, several clinical trials are underway exploring the umbilical cord tissue benefits and therapeutic applications.  Stem cell research scientists have higher hopes that cord tissue cells can be used to treat the spinal cord injuries and heart damages in near future. So, the expectant families have three options before them – they can throw away the life-saving resource, donate it to a public bank or store it in a private bank. 

Baby cord blood banking industry has been evolving rapidly over the last decade. Why not check out the milestones in stem cell research and cord blood history? The world’s first umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) took place in France on October 1988. The patient was a five year old boy named Mattew Farrow suffering with Fanconi Anemia (FA). This incredible medical event was made possible through an international collaboration.  Dr. Arleen Auerbach, Dr. Hal Broxmeyer and Dr. Eliance Gluckman joined their hands to perform the first umbilical cord blood transplantation at Hospital Saint-Louis in Paris. Mattew Farrow received the donor stem cells from his newborn baby sister. Since then, the field of cord blood research and banking have come a long way and has the potential to revolutionise the field of stem cell research.