Should Parents Opt for Private Cord Blood Banking?

Expecting a baby is one of the beautiful yet important phases of life. Several decisions are to be made and what to do with your newborns cord blood is just one of them. Cord blood is a precious commodity that is collected from a newborn right after birth. Being a rich source of stem cells, cord blood is currently used to treat more than 80 diseases including several forms of cancers, immune disorders, blood disorders and genetically inherited diseases to mention a few. Parents may discard it, donate it to public banks or store it in a private cord blood banking facility. Storing cord blood and tissue at private banks may cost you whereas donations are free of cost. Cord blood donated to the public bank is used either for medical research or stem cell transplants.

Private cord blood banking have been gaining immense popularity in the recent times, as you can find its marketing pitches everywhere – at doctor’s waiting rooms, pregnancy related mobile apps, parenting magazines and more. The month of July is even considered as National Cord Blood Awareness Month. But according to the doctors, parents need to be very cautious when signing up for the private cord blood storage. Expectant parents need to think long and hard before taking an informed decision. Banking your newborns cord blood at a private bank is an expensive affair, as the processing fees can run from roughly $500 to $2,500 with the annual storage fees of $100 to $300 each year thereafter.

Most of the parents who opt for private cord blood banking consider it as a precious resource and biological life insurance for their kid. Even though, the chances of your child benefiting from his or her own cord blood are less than 0.04 percent. This is because the cord blood contains the same cells and genetic defects that are responsible for the diseases in the first place. So, the best case is to choose private banking only if your family has a medical history of diseases currently treatable with cord blood. Talk with your doctor in order to discuss all the possibilities and take a wise decision.

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Banking Cord Blood Stem Cells

Expectant parents have a number of major decisions to make as they prepare to welcome the new member to family. One of the big financial decisions is about banking the cord blood. If you are wondering what is cord blood, then let us explain. The umbilical cord that connects the mother to the growing fetus is cut after the birth. A small amount of blood remains in the blood vessels of the placenta and cord even after the delivery, which is termed as cord blood. In addition to the normal elements of blood (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma), cord blood contains multipotent stem cells. These unspecialized cells with self-renewing capabilities can give rise to other cell types. However, the specialization potential of multipotent stem cells is limited to one or more cell lines. Presence of mutipotent stem cells in cord blood and cord tissues makes it life saving resource. And that is why medial communities are encouraging the expectant parents to bank or donate the cord blood rather than throwing it away. Cost of cord blood banking is worthy, especially if your family has a history of genetic disease.

Newborn’s cord blood is used for treating several life threatening disorders including several forms of leukemia, lymphoma and anemia. Hematopoietic stem cells or blood forming stem cells found in the umbilical cord blood is used as an alternative to bone marrow for transplantations. Bone marrow donation demands surgery whereas cord blood stem cell collection poses no medical risk or incisive procedures. Severe graft vs host disease (GvHD) is common with mismatched grafts of bone marrow transplants, but the chances of GvHD is less frequent and easier to treat among the cord blood transplant patients. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are used for transplants and regenerative medicine research. Scientists and experts believe that cord blood and cord tissue stem cells have the potential to revolutionize the future of medicine.

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Banking Umbilical Cord Blood and Cord Tissue

From diagnostic tools to treatment modalities, innovative advancements in the medical technology have been offering promising solutions to increase the quality of patient’s life and cure the root cause of debilitating conditions effectively. Introduction of umbilical cord blood stem cell transplants is a case in point. Umbilical cord which connects the mother to a developing fetus has mainly two layers – an outer layer of smooth muscle and inner layer made from gelatinous Wharton’s jelly. The cord has one vein and two arteries. Vein supplies oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the fetus whereas arteries take away the nutrient depleted and deoxygenated blood from the fetus.

Blood from the umbilical cord is an abundant source of multipotent Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and can be used to treat a number of life threatening conditions. Moreover, it is also used for the regenerative medicine research and clinical trials. Not just the cord blood (CB), but the umbilical cord tissue also contains Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Currently, HSCs are used to treat more than 80 diseases including leukemias, lymphomas, anemias and Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID). On the other hand, umbilical cord tissue is not yet used in the medical applications or clinical practice. However, researchers firmly believe that the cord tissue’s MSCs has the potential to treat spinal cord injuries, heart disease, arthritis, stroke, alzheimer’s and type 1 diabetes.  Several clinical trials and studies are underway to explore the promising applications and therapeutic benefits of cord tissue MSCs. And that is why medical communities consider umbilical cord blood and tissue as a precious resource.

If you are an expectant parent, then you may either choose to bank your newborn’s cord blood or donate it. You should discuss the matter with your family doctor and family member before taking a final decision. Families with a medical history of inherited diseases may opt for private cord blood banking. No matter whether you decide to bank or donate your newborn’s CB, choosing a reputed cord blood bank is significant.

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Future of Cord Blood Banking

Advancements in science and technology have transformed the field of healthcare and medicine over the last decade. Let us take stem cell research as an example. Being one of the promising areas of biomedical research, stem cell biology has received wide attention. According to researchers, stem cell science has the potential to change the scope and future of regenerative medicine. However, harvesting and collection of stem cells is always surrounded by several set of ethical controversies. That is when cord blood stem cell banking came into limelight. Before we delve into the details of cord blood banking, let us find out what cord blood is. As you may know, umbilical cord connects the foetus with placenta and is responsible for providing oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the growing embryo. After the baby is born, umbilical cord is cut. But even after the child birth, there will be some amount of blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta. This is termed as cord blood(CB) or placental blood. Around 180 ml of cord blood can be collected right after the child birth. What makes the umbilical cord blood so valuable? It is the presence of blood forming hematopoietic stem cells that offers a life-saving status to the CB. Not just the cord blood, but the cord tissue also contains Mesenchymal stem cells.

Stem cells harvested from the baby’s cord blood are used to treat several medical conditions such as leukaemia, lymphoma, immune deficiencies and other genetically inherited disorders. Generally, the cancerous cells are destroyed through chemotherapy and radiation procedures. Later, the stem cells are transplanted to restore the function of damaged cells. Cord blood stem cells are an effective alternative to bone marrow transplants. More and more expectant parents are banking their child’s cord blood these days. Those who can’t afford the high costs of cord blood banking are encouraged to donate it to public banks.

Resourced From:Facts about Cord Blood Stem Cell Banking

Cord Blood Banking – A New Postpartum Trend

Have you heard about the stem cell research? If yes, then you might be familiar with its remarkable benefits and recent developments. Discovery of stem cell presence in the umbilical cord blood was a major milestone in the field of stem cell research. In the past, umbilical cord and placenta were discarded right after the child birth, as it was considered as medical waste. But things have changed now. Have you been wondering why save your baby’s cord blood? Stem cells present in the new-born’s cord blood have remarkable potential to treat numerous life-threatening diseases. Currently, cord blood stem cells are used in therapy regimens for the treatment of cancer, sickle-cell anaemia, genetic diseases, marrow failure and more. Moreover, several trials and research works are underway exploring the promising applications of umbilical cord blood.

Even though cord blood (CB) is a potentially lifesaving resource, majority of the expectant parents chose to throw it away postpartum. Umbilical cord blood banking and donation is a relatively new concept that is surrounded by several set of misconceptions. This can be considered as one of the reasons that result in the disposal of umbilical cord and placenta.  However, if the expectant parents are knowledgeable about the benefits of saving their baby’s cord blood, then they might think about banking or donating the CB. Parents who find it hard to afford the private cord blood banking prices may consider donating CB to a public bank. Your baby’s cord blood may serve as a life-saving option for a cancer patient.

Some parents question about the safety of cord blood collection. However, the truth is that cord blood collection is a painless, safe and quick procedure that neither hurts the mother nor the baby. When you sign up for private banking or public donation, a collection kit will be provided. Blood is drawn to this sterile collection bag and sent to the laboratory for cryogenic preservation.  No matter whether you plan to donate or bank your baby’s cord blood, make it a point to collect as much information as possible and have an in-depth understanding regarding the same.

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Uses of Cord Blood & Tissue

The field of stem cell research have made significant stride in the recent years and the discovery of stem cell presence in umbilical cord blood was one of the remarkable achievements. Have you been thinking what exactly cord blood is? Blood left in the umbilical cord and placenta is termed as the cord blood (CB). Until recently, both the umbilical cord and placenta were discarded as medical waste right after the child birth. But during the 1970s, researchers discovered that the umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells. Also known as the master cells, adult stem cells possess remarkable potential to develop into a complete array of tissue and organ cells of the body. Cord blood contains haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that are responsible for maintaining blood production in our body. On the other hand, cord tissue contains Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) that have the potential to differentiate into cartilage cells, bone cells and fat cells. Several clinical trials are underway exploring the therapeutical cord tissue benefits and applications.

Currently, umbilical cord blood is used to treat more than 80 life-threatening diseases. Some of the major conditions include cancers, blood diseases and immune deficiency disorders. HSCs present in the umbilical cord blood develop into red cells, white cells and platelets further restoring the body’s ability to produce blood. Patients with cancerous blood disorders are treated with chemotherapy or radiation, which reduces the stem cells in the bone marrow. Cord blood stem cell transplant helps to replace the damaged blood forming cells with healthy HSCs. Since the collection of cord blood is easier and probability of complications is slighter, CB transplants have become a safe and effective alternative to bone marrow stem cell transplants. On the other hand, researchers continue to investigate the therapeutical cord tissue benefits thereby offering promising hope for the treatment of several debilitating conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke, spinal cord injury, diabetes and more.

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What is Stem Cell Research?

Stem cells, also known as master cells are a class of undifferentiated cells from which all other specialised cell types are developed. What is stem cell research? Doctors and researchers have been conducting several studies on the unique characteristics and properties of stem cells. Embryo and adult tissues are the major sources of stem cells. Adult stem cells are found in brain, bone marrow, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, skin and liver. Recent discovery of stem cell presence in umbilical cord blood was a new milestone in stem cell research.

Why expectant parents should think about banking or donating the cord blood? Blood found in the new-born’s umbilical cord is a rich source of stem cells. Adult stem cells found in the umbilical cord blood has the remarkable potential to divide or self-renew indefinitely. Immunologically naive hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) present in the cord blood can develop into multitude of blood cells and that is what makes it ideal for the treatment of a wide variety of disorders. Acute leukemia, aplastic anemia, hodgkin’s disease, myelodysplastic syndromes, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and sickle cell disease are some of the many diseases that can be treated with the cord blood stem cell therapies. Not just the cord blood, but cord tissue cells also offer several benefits. Treatment of spinal cord injuries, heart diseases, Parkinson’s disease, cartilage disorders and cardiovascular diseases are some of the prospective cord tissue banking benefits.

Collecting the cord blood is a quick, safe and painless procedure that poses no harm to the mother or the baby. Umbilical cord is clamped and cut right after the child birth, followed by extracting the blood to a sterile collection bag. Soon after the extraction, it is send to the cord blood bank for testing, processing and storage. Having a good knowledge about the cord blood and cord tissue banking benefits can help the expectant parents to take an informed decision.

Benefits of Umbilical Cord Blood Banking

All of you might have heard about the stem cell research and treatments, right? Being the master cells of human body, stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into any type of cell. Even though stem cells are unspecialized, they can produce specialized cells. Moreover, these master cells have the capability of dividing and renewing themselves for a prolonged period of time. Such special attributes and unique features of stem cells offer the vast potential to treat a number of diseases and disorders. Stem cells can be collected from embryos, bone marrow, amniotic fluid, teeth, umbilical cord blood, placenta and umbilical cord blood tissue. Though embryonic stem cell harvesting and research has been surrounded by a lot of ethical, legal and social controversies, umbilical cord blood tissue stem cell banking has gained wide acceptance.

Medical researchers and scientists have been working hard for making the most out of the unique properties and remarkable benefits of stem cells. New therapeutic applications for these master cells are discovered every day and that is why the future possibilities of stem cell therapy looks bright for treating a number of debilitating medical conditions. Currently, stem cells are used to treat more than 80 diseases which include numerous types of malignancies, anemia’s, inherited metabolic disorders and deficiencies of the immune system. With several clinical trials and studies underway, researchers believe that stem cell treatments and regenerative medicine therapy can revolutionize the future of medicine.

If you are an expectant parent who is well aware about the incredible benefits of stem cells therapies, then you should  consider banking your newborn’s cord blood. Harvesting the umbilical cord blood and tissue is a non-invasive and painless procedure that poses no harm to the mother or the child. Newborn’s umbilical cord blood banking may prove as a rich source of life-saving treatment not only for your child but also for your family members in the future.

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Pros of Saving Cord Blood

We have been hearing a lot about the magical cure of stem cells and regenerative medicine therapy over the last decade. Latest developments in the study of stem cell research offer a promising approach to revolutionise the future of medicine. Self renewal capacity and unspecialised nature of the master cells have the limitless potential to cure different diseases. Blood present in the umbilical cord has been found to be a rich source of stem cells. This realization has lead to the introduction of newborn’s cord blood banking services. Pros associated with cord blood banking are many and that is why the researchers and doctors advise the expectant parents to bank it or donate it.

Cord blood is used for the stem cell transplants that can treat more than 80 life-threatening diseases including leukaemia, bone marrow disease, sickle cell anaemia and lymphoma. Stem cells also help the body to recover from the after-effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Moreover, if a family has a medical history of genetically inherited disorders, then it is strongly recommended to bank the umbilical cord tissue and cord blood. Your baby’s genetically unique stem cells can be a close match for your family members, which will cut down the unnecessary complications. Mesenchymal Stem cells (MSCs) present in the umbilical cord tissue has the potential to treat different types of bone and cartilage disorders. Several clinical trials are underway researching the role of cord tissue in treat debilitating conditions.

Collecting the newborn’s cord blood is a simple, quick and painless procedure that poses no threat to the mother or the baby. Right after the delivery, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut by the medical provider. A needle is inserted into the umbilical vein to drain out the cord blood to the sterile collection bag. The blood is shipped to cord blood banking facilities where it is processed and frozen with liquid nitrogen for long-term storage. Expectant parents who can’t afford the processing and storage prices of cord blood banking services may think about donating it to a public bank. The bottom line here is that cord blood banking is an important decision that expectant parents should not take lightly. Having a brief discussion with your doctor will prove helpful in making an informed decision.

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Banking Cord Blood: How It Works

Why Donate Umbilical Cord Blood to a Public Bank?

Discovery about the presence of stem cells in the umbilical cord blood  is a new milestone achieved in the stem cell research. This new medical promise of treating illness with stem cell cord blood has drawn the attention of the public. If you are still wondering what exactly this cord blood is and what is cord tissue, let us explain it in the layman terms. Blood present in the umbilical cord is termed as cord blood, whereas the tissue of the umbilical cord is termed as cord tissue. Both the cord blood and tissue were discarded right after the child birth in previous times, but now it has achieved a life saving status.

If you are an expectant parent, then it is essential to decide whether or not to bank your newborn’s umbilical cord blood and tissue. You have to collect as much information as possible about the cord blood banking and its benefits. More than just defining what is cord tissue or what cord blood is, you should figure out how it will prove beneficial in protecting your family’s long-term health. Searching over the web pages or having a brief discussion with your doctor will help you in collecting all the necessary information. Once you have realised about the value of saving your newborn’s cord blood, then it is time to decide whether to bank it or donate it. You have to choose between private and public umbilical cord blood banks.

Storing your baby’s cord blood at a private umbilical cord blood bank has several set of advantages, especially if your family has any sort of genetically inherited disorders or ailments. The cord blood you stored at the private bank can be used for your child or it can also  be a close match for any of your family member if he or she ever needs it for stem cell transplants or therapeutic treatments. However, expectant parents who can’t afford the high cord blood pricing or simply don’t want to bank it can think about donating the cord blood to public banks. Umbilical cord blood donated to the public banks will be either used for life-saving transplants or medical research purpose. No matter whether you decide to bank it or donate it, make it a point to check with your doctor for the availability of medical facilities.

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Private and Public Umbilical Cord Blood Banks