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Cord Blood Registries – A Decision That Could Save Your Child's Life

Posted on Jan. 18, 2012 at 11:34 AM - Link

New parents have a million decisions to make, from baby names to nursery designs to parenting strategies. One of the decisions that are growing in popularity has to do with the future medical treatment of the child. In the event that the child develops a life—threatening disease, such as cancer or leukemia, there may be a way to save his or her life using stem cells derived from the cord blood banking process. The source of the stem cells must be saved at the time of the birth in the form of the umbilical cord. Cord blood banking is done immediately after the birth when the cord is cut. However, the decision to bank the stem cells with cord blood registries has to be made in advance.

Similar to bone marrow, cord blood stem cells can be used to produce healthy cells, both blood and immune system. Cord blood banking saves these cells to use later in life to combat cancer and other dangerous illnesses. The clamped and cut umbilical cord is put into a bag for the cord blood registries collection. Cord blood is frozen cryogenically for storing long term in the cord blood bank. This collection process does not hurt the mother or baby. If not banked with a cord blood registry, the umbilical card is simply discarded after birth.

Cord tissue can be saved just like cord blood banking with some cord blood registries. The cells in the tissue of the umbilical cord are stem cells that can generate different types of cells, including bone, cartilage, and tendon. Though these stem cells are not currently used in treating any illnesses, research is ongoing to see how they can be used to help people with diseases and injuries. Stem cells from both cord blood and cord tissue can be thought of as a stem that allows branching off as the cells develop. This means that the cells can develop into different types of cells. The stem cells from the cord blood may be able to turn into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, as well as possibly other types.

Private cord blood banking can be fairly expensive, but when weighed with the good it can do if the child becomes ill, many parents feel the cost is worth the security. Most cord blood registries offer informational kits that give you additional information about banking your child's cord blood and how to apply for the service.

The Benefits Cord Blood Banking

Posted on Dec. 21, 2011 at 3:34 AM - Link

There are a lot of people who have no idea what cord blood banking is. This is the process of saving the blood from your baby’s umbilical cord for future use. Whether that future use is for your own family or you bank it to be used by others is your own personal decision. There is a lot of cord blood pricing information out there to help you with the process of saving your baby’s cord blood. There are public ones have many strict standards that must be met by the bank in order to maintain its practices. However, there are also private ones which do not have to meet all of these standards in order to continue its practices.

The main benefit of cordblood banking, including cord blood discount coupons is that the blood can help in treatment of certain diseases and illnesses. Currently, the blood is used to treat certain types of cancers and blood disorders, but there have been studies to show that it is promising in treating Parkinson’s disease and ev en illnesses like type 1 diabetes. There is also hope for it to help with repairing the heart and its function. This is why many people choose to save the cord blood, because you just never know if you will need it or not.

As previously mentioned, there are two types of cord blood registries: public and private. Public cord blood registries are banks that collect the blood to be used by anyone who needs it. That means that you give them the blood and they can use it for whoever matches the blood and they see fit for it. Private cord blood registries are banks that collect the blood and keep it linked to the family so it can be used only by them. The parents of the baby maintain “custody” of the blood until the baby becomes an adult. Then the person whom the cord blood came from will have control over the blood. The reason that many people choose the private bank over the public one is because they want to be able to say who gets to use it.

If you are pregnant and considering cord blood banking, you really should investigate both types of banks in order to make the right decision about which one is right for you. Whether you want to give it to a public bank for everyone to use or a private one where only your family will have access, you should still do cord blood banking. Because of the many ways that the blood can help with diseases and illnesses, banking the blood could save you or your child’s life one day.

cordblood - Reputation of Cord Blood Banks

Posted on Oct. 19, 2011 at 3:05 AM - Link

When seeking the best cord blood bank for your family, one of the most important consideration to look at is how long the cord blood bank has been in the business. When storing your child’s cord blood cells for the long term, the number of years that a cord blood bank has had in providing this invaluable service is an important aspect of selecting the right cord blood bank. The Internet is a great resource when searching for a good list of the best cord blood bank to suit your needs based on the bank’s reputation, years of service, accreditation, and costs.

While a cord blood bank’s years of service gives you an idea of their cord blood banking process and how reliable it is in storing your baby’s cord blood, accreditation tells you whether or not the bank is accredited by one or both of the industry standard accrediting agencies (AABB and FACT).

The total cost that parents will incur for the first year of cord blood banking (enrollment/admin fees, cord blood collection processing fees, shipping, and 1st year storage) is commonly referred to as the Total 1st Year Costs. In some instances, blood banks choose chosen to not include shipping in their pricing and leave the shipping decision up to the customer. In these cases, since shipping can vary, we have written “+Shipping”. Although hard to estimate since it will largely depend upon where you live and where you are sending the cord blood too, we have seen shipping range from $40 – $150. The recurring cost you will pay each year for storing the cord blood is called the Annual Storage Fee. These pieces of data are critical when collecting the best cord blood banking information for your family.

There are two types of private cord blood banks when it comes to labs and storage capacity: those that own their own labs and those that outsource the lab/storage to other service providers. Labs that own their storage facilities and labs tend to have higher prices due to all the fixed costs and overhead, while cord blood registries that outsource tend to be cheaper. Ultimately, the decision comes down to what you and your family is comfortable with. If owning the lab and storage capacity is important to you, we can help you filter out the cord blood banks that meet your needs. For additional information, visit www.cordbloodadvantage.com at 8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Suite 102 Los Angeles, CA 90045 to learn more.

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A Primer on Cord Blood Banking For Your Baby

Posted on Sep. 20, 2011 at 1:04 AM - Link

Cord blood cell treatment can save lives. Recent studies have shown that cord blood has unique advantages over traditional bone marrow transplantation, particularly in children, and can be life-saving in rare cases where a suitable bone-marrow donor cannot be found.

Potential Benefits of Cord Blood Banking

Easy to collect from cord blood banks
Treat life threatening diseases
Peace of mind
Matching cells for siblings or other family members

The main reason why parents choose to bank their baby’s cordblood is in case the child (or siblings) ever has an illness or disease that requires stem cell therapy. Cord blood stem cells have already been used in treating over 20,000 patients for a wide range of diseases, including types of leukemia and immune system illnesses. While cord blood stem cell treatment is still considered experimental, science continues to improve and find new uses for the stem cells. For example, breakthroughs continue to be made in the treatment of certain diseases like cerebral palsy, stroke, and diabetes. As further scientific breakthroughs are made, the potential for using cord blood stem cells to treat a variety of diseases and conditions may continue to increase.

Many parents view banking cord blood as similar to auto insurance. Just as you never want or plan to get in a car accident, no one ever wants his or her child to have an illness. In the unfortunate event that stem cells are needed to treat an illness, wouldn’t it be nice to know you have a match for your child?

Recent studies have shown that cord blood has unique advantages over traditional bone marrow transplantation, particularly in children, and can be life-saving in rare cases where a suitable bone-marrow donor cannot be found. This is where cordblood banking comes in. Approximately 50% of patients requiring a bone marrow transplant will not find a suitable donor within a critical period. In certain instances, there may be some medical issues around using one's own cord blood cells, as well as availability of cells, which will require treatments done using cells from another donor, with the vast majority being unrelated donors. However, studies have shown that cord blood stem cells can also be used for siblings and other members of your family who have a matching tissue type. Siblings have up to a 75% chance of compatibility, and the cord blood may even be a match for parents (50%) and grandparents.

The first documented clinical use of cord blood stem cells was in the successful treatment of a six-year-old boy afflicted by Fanconi anemia in 1988. Since then, cord blood has become increasingly recognized as a source of stem cells that can be used in stem cell therapy.

Cord blood stem cells have already been used in treating over 20,000 patients for a wide range of diseases, including types of leukemia and immune system illnesses². Cord blood stem cell treatment is still considered experimental and scientists continue to research its uses in treating other diseases like cerebral palsy, stroke, and diabetes^2,10.. As further scientific breakthroughs are made, the potential for using cord blood stem cells to treat a variety of diseases and conditions may continue to increase.

Approximately 50% of patients requiring a bone marrow transplant will not find a suitable donor within a critical period. In certain instances, there may be some medical issues around using one's own cord blood cells, as well as availability of cells, which will require treatments done using cells from another donor, with the vast majority being unrelated donors. However, studies have shown that cord blood stem cells can also be used for siblings and other members of the family who have a matching tissue type. Siblings have up to a 75% chance of compatibility, and the cord blood may even be a match for parents (50%) and grandparents. For additional information, visit www.cordbloodadvantage.com at 8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Suite 102 Los Angeles, CA 90045 to learn more.

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Investing In Your Child’s Future Health: Cord Blood Banking

Posted on Aug. 17, 2011 at 5:13 PM - Link

Banking cord blood is an important family decision that more and more parents are making. Cord blood collection occurs immediately after birth and after the umbilical cord has been cut. The remaining blood in the cord is drawn into a collection bag. Your healthcare provider can collect cord blood after a vaginal birth or C-section.

There are many devices for extracting and collecting of umbilical cord blood to yield useful volumes of cord blood from a delivered placenta and/or umbilical cord. Cord blood collection can be classified into two broad categories, i.e., in utero and ex utero. The former method of cord blood collection involves extracting the stem cell cord blood from the umbilical cord while the placenta is still in the maternal womb. An example of such methods is the syringe-assisted collection method. In the latter method, cord blood stem cell samples are collected from the placenta which is outside the maternal womb. Usually, the collection of cord blood is performed with the aid of a housing structure. Gravity-assisted methods are examples of such collection methods.

A differentiator between the 30+ cord blood companies in the United States is the structural integrity and climate control of the kit itself. The 24-36 hours from when the cord blood is collected until when it reaches the lab is critical, and many collection kits offer additional protections to ensure that your baby’s cord blood is protected in transit. If the risk of damage is important to you, it may be worthwhile to consider a cord blood bank that is nearer to you or has a collection kit with enhanced features. We can help you with this decision.

Collection of the cord blood takes place shortly after birth in both vaginal and cesarean (C-section) deliveries and is performed by your doctor or a delivery room nurse. It's done using a specific kit that parents must order ahead of time from their chosen cord-blood bank and take with them to the hospital when it is time to deliver the baby.

After a vaginal delivery, the umbilical cord is clamped on both sides and cut. One side of the umbilical cord is unclamped, and a small tube is passed into the umbilical vein to collect the blood. During cesarean births, cord-blood collection is more complicated because the obstetrician's primary focus in the operating room is tending to the surgical concerns of the mother. After the baby has been safely delivered the cord blood can be collected. However, less cord blood is usually collected when delivery is by C-section. The amount collected is critical because the more blood collected, the more stem cells collected.

After cord-blood collection has taken place, the blood is placed into bags or syringes and is usually taken by courier to the cord-blood bank. Certain blood banks have designed their collection kits to withstand the rigors of cross country travel and use this as a selling point to parents. Once there kit has arrived, the stem cells are separated from the rest of the blood and are stored cryogenically (frozen in liquid nitrogen) in a collection facility. Then, if needed, blood-forming stem cells can be thawed and used in either autologous procedures (when someone receives his or her own umbilical cord blood in a transplant) or allogeneic procedures (when a person receives umbilical cord blood donated from someone else — a sibling, close relative, or anonymous donor). For additional information, visit www.cordbloodadvantage.com to learn more.

blood banks - Benefits of Cord Blood Banking

Posted on Jul. 17, 2011 at 12:15 PM - Link

Cord blood stem cells have already been used in treating over 20,000 patients for a wide range of diseases, including types of leukemia and immune system illnesses. Cord blood stem cell treatment is still considered experimental and scientists continue to research its uses in treating other diseases like cerebral palsy, stroke, and diabetes. As further scientific breakthroughs are made, the potential for using cord blood stem cells to treat a variety of diseases and conditions may continue to increase. The first documented clinical use of cord blood stem cells was in the successful treatment of a six-year-old boy afflicted by Fanconi anemia in 1988. Since then, cord blood banking has become increasingly recognized as a source of stem cells that can be used in stem cell therapy.

Recent studies have shown that cord blood has unique advantages over traditional bone marrow transplantation, particularly in children, and can be life-saving in rare cases where a suitable bone-marrow donor cannot be found. Approximately 50% of patients requiring a bone marrow transplant will not find a suitable donor within a critical period. In certain instances, there may be some medical issues around using one's own cells drawn from their cord blood storage, as well as availability of cells, which will require treatments done using cells from another donor, with the vast majority being unrelated donors. However, studies have shown that stem cells from cord blood banking can also be used for siblings and other members of the family who have a matching tissue type. Siblings have up to a 75% chance of compatibility, and the cord blood may even be a match for parents (50%) and grandparents.

Parents often ask what a cord blood Collection Kit exactly is. A collection kit stores and protects cord blood for delivery to a cord blood bank. These kits vary from bank to bank, and they commonly feature temperature stabilizers, reinforced casings that provide breakage protection, and specialized collection bags for containing cord blood. Itâ€™s important to take your kit with you to the hospital, as the staff there will not provide you with one should you forget to bring it. With regards to choosing a reputable bank, it is important to take the time to consider these key questions: Has the bank registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and met all necessary state regulatory requirements? Is it accredited? How does the bank store cord blood? How experienced is the cord blood bank? Is the cord blood bank financially stable and profitable? Ask the bank you're considering what it would do with your cord blood if the company went out of business. Look for a company with a reasonable plan to accommodate customers. For additional information, visit www.cordbloodadvantage.com to learn more.