 During pregnancy, the placenta delivers "cord blood" to the baby through the umbilical cord serving as a lifeline of nourishment from the mother to baby. At birth, "cord blood" remains in the umbilical cord and placenta and until recently, had typically been discarded. The tragedy of this practice is that "cord blood" contains very special cells called "stem cells". Recent advances in medical research, have allowed us to identify stem cells as the building blocks of of every type of cell in our bodies. In light of these and other recent advances in medical research, people have started saving or "banking" their baby's cord blood.
Cord blood can be collected both at vaginal delivery and in connection with Caesarean section. (Rygaard and Lindenberg, Acta Obstet Scand 2002:81: 383-388) Cord blood is collected once the baby has been delivered, and has been safely placed into your hands. Cord blood is collected from the remains of the umbilical cord. Remains that would have otherwise been discarded immediately after birth. It is collected with a syringe by puncturing the umbilical vein immediately after the umbilical cord has been clamped, cut, and cleaned with antiseptic solution. (Regidor et al., Experimental Hematology 1999: (27) 380-385)
Cord blood is a very rich source of stem cells. This very rich source of stem cells must be collected at birth or it is lost forever.
If your child or someone else in your family develops a life-threatening and/or debilitating disease or condition, they may be considered for a stem cell transplant. Banking your baby's cord blood ensures that you will have your family's stem cells readily available as a life-saving resource.
Cord Blood Stem Cells FAQs
| What is cord blood?
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During pregnancy, the placenta delivers "cord blood" to the baby through the umbilical cord serving as a lifeline of nourishment from the mother to baby. At birth, "cord blood" remains in the umbilical cord and placenta and until recently, had typically been discarded. The tragedy of this practice is that "cord blood" contains very special cells called "stem cells". Your baby's umbilical cord blood is a valuable source of stem cells, which are genetically unique to your baby and family.
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| What are stem cells? |
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Stem cells are the body's building blocks or "master cells". These master cells can develop or differentiate into any type of tissue or organ, including various organs (heart, liver, etc), muscle, blood cells, immune tissue and neural cells (brain, spinal cord).
Stem cells can be used to repair damaged hearts, brains, and spinal cords, heal injury from strokes and heart attacks and minimize and/or potenitally cure diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and diabetes. Stem cells collected from your baby's umbilical cord after birth can protect not only your child, but siblings, parents, grandparents and other members of your extended family.
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| Why should I think about banking my baby’s umbilical cord blood? |
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Umbilical cord blood contains a high concentration of stem cells at birth. – If these cord blood derived stem cells are not harvested at birth, they are lost forever. Stem cells are currently used in the treatment of over 50 diseases and conditions - for a complete list of the medical uses of stem cells therapy, please click here.
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| What types of diseases are treated with stem cell transplantation? |
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Follow this link to review all diseases and conditions treated with stem cells. Medical Uses
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Are cord blood stem cells different than other types of stem cells?
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Yes. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are the "most immature," available form of stem cells that are gentecally unique to your baby and to your entire family. Cord blood derived stem cells are also free of controversy associated with embryonic stem cells, another type of stem cells. Storing these cells essentially stops the clock and prevents aging and damage that would normally occur to cells as they age. A third type of stem cells is adult stem cells, such as those found in bone marrow. Bone marrow stem cells are “older” stem cells, and are less desirable as a treatment option because they are 1) less readily available as they more difficult to harvest (involves putting the donor’s life at risk), 2)less suitable for other family members (degree of match has to be greater because these cells are older and 3) are associated with poorer treatment outcomes.
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| Why are doctors turning to cord blood instead of bone marrow? |
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Bone marrow is more difficult to obtain because:
- harvesting bone marrow involves putting the donor’s life at risk
- a perfect match between a donor and recipient is usually required because these cells are older. Cord blood stem cells are less mature than bone marrow stem cells and can be successfully used even when there is only a half-match. This means there is more opportunity for transplants between family members when cord blood stem cells are stored.
- better outcomes have been associated with the application of cord blood derived stem cells:
- overall survival rates for related transplants are more than double that of transplants from unrelated donors.
- Immediate availability of banked cord blood stem cells ensures that these stem cells are immediately available if your baby or other family member needs them.
- lower incidence of Graft versus host disease (GVHD) Overall, patients who receive cord blood transplants from a relative experience significantly less (GVHD), than those receiving a bone marrow transplant. (GVHD) is transplant rejection and is the leading cause of death in stem cell transplant patients.
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| What is anticipated in terms of the application of cord blood stem cells in the future? |
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Umbilical cord blood derived stem cells have been used in more than 4000 transplants worldwide.
Recent advances in medical research, have allowed us to identify stem cells as the building blocks of of every type of cell in our bodies. It is this this recent discovery that has fueled the intense interest in these stem cells lately. It is anticipated that cord blood stem cells will be considered for application in any condition that would require tissue regeneration due to injury or disease.
Current research is focusing on the medical application of stem cells in various cancers, regenerating of tissue: brain regeneration, heart regeneration, spinal cords, healing injury from strokes and heart attacks and minimizing and/or potenitally curing diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and diabetes.
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| What is graft vs. host disease (GVHD)? |
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GVHD is one of the most common life threatening side effects of a stem cell transplant (bone marrow or other). GVHD occurs when the transplanted stem cells recognize the recipient's body as foreign, and "reject" it. Cord blood transplants are assciated with significantly less GVHD than bone marrow transplants.
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| What is HLA matching? |
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Typing refers to six proteins called Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) that appear on the surface of white blood cells and other tissues in the body. These six HLA points, or loci, determine tissue compatibility between a patient and a donor. Although a perfect match would be best, studies have shown that cord blood transplants are successful, even when only three of the six loci match. Because cord blood stem cells are more “immature” than bone marrow stem cells, there is a 1 in 4 chance that one baby’s cord blood will be suitable for another sibling.
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| How long can cord blood be stored and still remain effective? |
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Current advances in the technology for cryogenic freezing of stem cells has been proven safe and effective over many years of successful medical transplantation. To date, cryogenically preserved stem cells have proven viable after 15 years of storage. Cryogenic theory predicts that stem cells can be preserved indefinitely, since the molecular state of the stem cells have been suspended due to freezing
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