| F.A.Q |
Cord Blood Frequently Asked Questions
:: What is Stem Cell Therapy? :: Why Cord Blood Stem Cells? :: How will Cord Blood help my family? :: Why Cord Blood Banking? :: How is Cord Blood collected? :: What are the types of Cord Blood Banks? :: How much does banking cord blood cost? :: Should families bank the cord blood of each child? :: Why do some families donate Cord Blood? :: How can families donate Cord Blood? :: What happens to the Donated Cord Blood? :: How are Cord Blood stored? :: Who can access Donated Cord Blood? What is Cord Blood? When mothers give birth, the blood that remained in the placenta is referred to as Cord Blood. This particular blood contains numerous hematopoietic stem cells, which differentiates and transform into any organ. Because of the abundance of stem cells in the cord blood, they are easy to harvest. In order to preserve its viability for stem cell therapy purposes, cord blood is collected immediately after the child’s birth. What is Stem Cell Therapy? The scientific fact that these stem cells can transform into a particular organ when transplanted to the patient’s body has led to many researches about its treatment potentials. Currently, stem cell therapy has been successful in treating diseases such as leukemia, thalassemia and other disorders of the blood. Although the application of stem cell therapy in other diseases is still in the early stages of experimentation, the outlook is quite impressive. In fact, stem cell therapy is being explored as a treatment for more than 70 diseases. Why Cord Blood Stem Cells? Compared to stem cells from the bone marrow and circulating blood, cord blood stem cells can be harvested easily without posing any risks to both mother and child. These stem cells can also be stored for a long period of time and used as needed. Cord blood stem cells are also found to be less mature, thus lowering the risks for graft-versus-host disease. In short, there is absolutely no need for a “perfect match” during transplantation. How will Cord Blood help my family? If your family has a medical history of any of the diseases that could possibly benefit from stem cell therapy, then your child’s cord blood is very important. According to several studies, the chances that a person can be treated via stem cell therapy using stem cells harvested from a relative versus a non-relative, is higher. Why Cord Blood Banking? Stem cells can be collected from three sources: circulating blood, bone marrow and cord blood. It has been established that stem cells from cord blood are easier to match than those collected from the other two sources. Since the stem cells harvested from your baby’s cord blood are viable for a short period of time, it is only logical that you should want it immediately collected and stored for future use. Cord blood banking involves the collection, processing and storage of the cord blood. If a medical emergency arises, your family can enjoy convenient access to cord blood stem cells. How is Cord Blood collected? The actual collection takes only a few minutes and is non-invasive. An authorized collector from the cord blood bank will be the one to do the process of collecting. The cord blood is collected by either bag or syringe method. What are the types of Cord Blood Banks? Basically, there are two types of cord blood banks: private and public. Private cord blood banks usually cater to families who are at risk for certain diseases and who can afford to pay for the cord blood banking services. On the other hand, public cord blood banks employ a donation program. In most cases, these banks are funded by research institutes to collect and store cord blood stem cells both for experimental and clinical applications. How much does banking cord blood cost? Private Cord Blood Banks: Because the cord blood will be collected processed and stored for a long period of time, it is understandable that the cord blood bank will charge a considerable fee. The benefits, on the other hand, outweigh the cost. Your family will be provided with peace of mind as well as convenience should your need the cord blood stem cells. In the United States, there are several private cord blood banks that you can contact. It would be best to inquire about prices and compare services. Public Donation: Since you will be donating the cord blood of your child for public use, you do not have to pay for anything. The cord blood will be collected, processed and stored at NO cost at all. The only disadvantage to donating cord blood is not having immediate access to it. You will be treated just like the other families who require compatible cord blood stem cells. Should families bank the cord blood of each child? Since you can not be sure that your children have the same HLA types, banking each cord blood is advisable. Why do some families donate Cord Blood? Donating cord blood is usually done because of two reasons. Families who can not afford to pay for private cord blood banks choose to avail of public cord blood donation programs instead. On the other hand, families at low risk but would like to help other people can donate cord blood. In the United States, the current demand for cord blood is high since these stem cells are being utilized for research purposes. How can families donate Cord Blood? Because there is only a limited number or public facilities that accept cord blood donation, you should immediately inquire whether your hospital is affiliated with any public cord blood bank. If you do not have a hospital in mind yet, you could look for one that is involved in the cord blood donation program and make arrangements before you give birth.
What happens to the Donated Cord Blood? As soon as the collected cord blood is tested, it will be stored. The test results are entered into a databank that medical doctors can access if they require donors. If the cord blood matches a patient, then the cord blood is sent to the doctor and the transplant can be accomplished. On the other hand, if the cord blood is not suitable for transplant, it will be utilized for further research on stem cell applications. How are Cord Blood stored? Cord blood is preserved using cryopreservation techniques. This is usually done by putting the cord blood inside a freezer that has a temperature of -180 degrees. With this very low temperature, the cord blood can be stored for a minimum of ten years and still be viable. Who can access Donated Cord Blood? Anyone who requires stem cell transplantation can access the databank of these public cord blood banks, even your family.
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