I think you mean "Cord Blood". The "Cord" in "Cord Blood" is short for umbilical cord. Cord blood (umbilical cord blood) is blood that remains in the placenta and in the attached umbilicalcord after childbirth. Cord blood is collected because it contains stem cells, which can be used to treat hematopoietic and genetic disorders.
A Cord Blood Bank is a facility that stores umbilical cord blood. There are two main types of Cord Blood Banks: Private "Familiy" Cord Blood Banks, which charge a fee for storage, and Public Cord Blood Banks, which accept donations and do not charge for storage-- but you give up the rights to use your baby's cord blood in the future. We know this is a serious decision for your family to make. Read more about Private Cord Blood Banks and Public Cord Blood Banks before you make your decision. You can also read Reviews about specific Cord Blood Banks or Cord Blood Banking in general. The Pros and Cons of Cord Blood Banking are not something you should be afraid of investigating. If you have any more questions, you can continue to Browse our Frequently Asked Questions, Contact Us, or Search for Cord Bood Banking options near you.
Visit our Map + List of Public and Private Cord Blood Banks as well as Hospitals that accept Cord Blood Donations and provide Cord Blood Storage.
Yes. Cord blood stem cells are biologically younger and are more flexible compared to adult stem cells from other sources like bone marrow. When saved, they have unique qualities and advantages:
Less risk of complications when used in transplants
Ability to use one’s own stem cells for conditions that currently lack medical treatment options, also known as “autologous transplantation”
Immediately available and can minimize disease progression in early treatment
Preserving them “stops the clock” and protects the cells from aging and being exposed to environmental factors and common viruses that can decrease their function
Stem cells can heal the body, promote recovery, and offer an enormous amount of therapeutic potential. Cord blood stem cells are not embryonic stem cells and are not controversial. Source: https://www.cordblood.com/faqs/CordBloodBanking
#CordBlood #CordBloodBanking #FAQ
Stem cells are the body’s “master cells” because they are the building blocks of organ tissues, blood, and the immune system. Stem cells from bone marrow were first used to regenerate blood and immune cells for patients who had received chemotherapy for cancer. In the late 1980s, doctors started using cord blood stem cells to treat diseases that had previously been treated with bone marrow transplantation.
Today, cord blood stem cells are successfully being used to save lives. They also are being researched in an exciting new area of medicine called regenerative medicine, where scientists are studying the use of cord blood stem cells in experimental treatments for conditions like brain injury and acquired hearing loss.
Source: cordblood.com
Stem cells are found throughout the body, but in larger numbers in the blood system. Stress on the body can cause even more stem cells to circulate in the blood, and birth is a very stressful event for a newborn.
Once the baby is born, the blood that remains in the umbilical cord still contains a “reservoir” of stem-cell rich blood that can be easily collected without risk to the newborn or mother.
There are two primary types of newborn stem cells that have the potential to be used for different treatments: hematopoietic (he•ma•to•poi•et•ic) and mesenchymal (mes•en•chy•mal). Hematopoietic stem cells are blood-forming cells with the ability to self-renew. Mesenchymal stem cells can form bone, cartilage, and tissue cells and are predominantly found in the cord tissue. Cord blood predominantly contains hematopoietic stem cells and cord tissue primarily contains mesenchymal stem cells.
Yes. Saving cord blood for each child gives your family more options because:
Each child has access to his or her own genetically unique cells. Your baby may use the stem cells for a number of diseases, however, not generally for inherited genetic conditions. In those cases, a matched sibling’s stem cells would be the first choice. For experimental regenerative medicine therapies that use cord blood, the child’s own stem cells are currently required.
There is increased likelihood that a family member in need will have access to a related source of cord blood for treatment.
Expecting identical twins? It is still important to save cord blood for each child as it is extremely difficult to determine if twins are indeed identical. Each child’s cord blood is banked separately.
Source: cordblood.com
Thousands of autologous stem cell transplants – those using one’s own stem cells from cord blood, bone marrow, and peripheral blood – are performed every year.
Autologous (using one’s own stem cells) transplants are performed for diseases such as: Hodgkin’s disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, severe aplastic anemia, myeloma, Ewing’s sarcoma, neuroblastoma, brain tumors, and other solid tumors.
Research from the Journal of Clinical Oncology reports that even with early-onset disease (within 12 months of birth), the child’s stem cells are viable for use in transplantation. In the study, an autologous stem cell treatment for infants with acute leukemia was just as successful as a sibling transplant.
Autologous cord blood stem cells have many advantages as a stem cell source, including no risk of graft vs. host disease (a leading cause of death for transplant patients). In addition, like all saved cord blood, it is available quickly and the stem cells have a low risk of having been affected by environmental damage or viruses.
Experimental treatments with cord blood focus on regenerative medicine – where doctors study the use of stem cells to repair damaged tissues and organs in the body. Currently, for these applications, a child’s own cord blood is required.
However, there are certain medical conditions that would not use autologous stem cells:
Genetic Diseases: Cord blood stem cells may not be usable if the donating child has certain genetic diseases, such as sickle cell anemia. However, gene therapy, which uses the child’s own stem cells to deliver the corrected genetic element is being investigated. Gene therapy is still experimental and may never become clinically available.
Certain Cancers: In earlier years of life, doctors may choose to not use a child’s own stem cells for treatment of certain cancers such as leukemia, due to the concern that an early onset may indicate a genetic component. However, if the cancer occurs later in life, the child’s cord blood stem cells may be preferable to their own adult stem cells collected during remission from the cancer. This is because of the risk of residual tumor cells in the adult stem cells, which may cause relapse.
In cases in which autologous stem cells cannot be used, a matched sibling’s cord blood is the next best option, which is one of the key reasons why it is important to bank cord blood for each child in the family.
Source: cordblood.com
Any family member who is a suitable match may be able to use your baby’s cord blood stem cells for transplant medicine. Siblings are the most likely to be compatible matches, with 25% of these cases offering a perfect match. It is less likely that other family members will be a sufficient match, and there is no guarantee that an adequate stem cell match will be found for any given patient.
Your baby will always be a perfect match to his or her own stem cells and may use them for a number of diseases, however, not generally for inherited genetic conditions. In those cases, a matched sibling’s stem cells would be the first choice.
The use of cord blood has increased significantly in the past 15 years. As uses expand, so does the likelihood that the stem cells may be needed by a member of your family. Based on the most recent data, the likelihood of needing a stem cell transplant from any source is:
1 in 217 – for an individual (by age 70), using his or her own stem cells or someone else’s
However, this data does not reflect potential therapies using stem cells that may be developed in the future. Currently, there are more than 30 FDA-regulated clinical trials researching medical uses for cord blood stem cells, including studies for cerebral palsy, brain injury, juvenile diabetes, and hearing loss.
Banking may give families a powerful resource against injuries and diseases that can occur in the future. Every month, thousands of new parents, a number of them doctors, nurses, and scientists, store their newborn’s stem cells with CBR. Some of the important reasons to save cord blood include the following:
Cord blood is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells, which are used in transplant medicine to treat many life-threatening diseases, such as leukemia and other cancers. As with other medical procedures, therapies using cord blood may involve risk, which should be discussed with a physician.
Cord blood is being evaluated today for its ability to treat cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, acquired hearing loss, and juvenile diabetes.
Your baby’s cord blood is available for your family if needed for treatment, without the need for painful and potentially time-consuming bone marrow harvest surgery. Early treatment can minimize disease progression.
If ever required for a transplant, using your own family’s cord blood instead of an unrelated donor’s can have significant advantages, including fewer complications and improved medical outcomes
Current clinical trials in the U.S. that use cord blood require the child’s own stem cells
Having a family history of disease
Having a baby of an ethnic minority or mixed ethnicity, in which there is greater difficulty finding stem cell donors
Adopting a newborn and wanting a valuable source of stem cells genetically identical to the adopted baby
It is important to know that, for certain inherited genetic conditions, the child’s own cord blood may not be used; in those cases, a matched sibling’s stem cells would be the first choice. There is no guarantee that an adequate stem cell match will be found for any given patient.
You have two options to save your baby’s cord blood:
Family banking: Your baby’s cord blood is stored for a fee for exclusive use by your family.
Newborn Possibilities Program®: CBR offers cord blood and cord tissue collection, processing and storage at no cost for five years when a family member has been diagnosed with a condition that can be treated with stem cells.
Public donation: Your baby’s cord blood is donated anonymously for potential use by a patient who needs a transplant. You must give birth in a participating hospital.
If you choose not to family bank or donate, your baby’s cord blood is discarded at the hospital.
Possibly. However, if a patient is in need of a transplant, the physician will look first for a suitable stem cell donor within the patient’s family. Using cord blood from your own family has advantages for treating cancers and blood disorders. Matched cord blood from within your own family can result in:
Fewer complications
Improved medical outcomes
Additionally, saving cord blood for all of your children is important for participation in current clinical trials, for which the child’s own cord blood is required. There is no guarantee that an adequate stem cell match will be found in either a public bank or within your family. Source: cordblood.com
Banking cord blood can change or even save a life. Cord blood stem cells have certain advantages over bone marrow stem cells in transplant, and have been used for 20 years to treat more than 80 life-threatening diseases and disorders. Today stem cell therapies continue to evolve, bringing new hope to patients and their families.
Below are just a few diseases and disorders that have been treated with cord blood stem cells. If you have stem cell treatment questions, please click here to request more information.
Cancer
Acute Leukemia
Chronic Leukemia
High-Risk Solid Tumors
Hodgkin & Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Blood Disorders
Aplastic Anemia
Beta Thalassemia
Diamond-Blackfan Anemia
Fanconi Anemia
Sickle Cell Disease
Immune Disorders
Chronic Granulomatous Disease
Hystiocytic Disorders
Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency
Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Diseases
Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome
Metabolic Disorders
Krabbe Disease
Hurler Syndrome
Metachromatic Leukodystrophy
Sanfilippo Syndrome
Saving or donating cord blood stem cells makes them available to treat diseases like those listed above. For inherited genetic conditions, the child may not be able to use his or her own stem cells. In these cases, a matched sibling’s stem cells would be the first choice. Only family banking also offers access to current regenerative medicine clinical trials in autism, cerebral palsy, and pediatric stroke.
Source: cordblood.com
CBR has more experience providing cord blood for use in treatment than any other family bank. To date, we have released more than 450+ samples for families to use. All of the cord blood units released for client use have been viable — the ultimate validation of our processing and storage methods.
Source: cordblood.com
Over the past 20 years, cord blood stem cells have been used in 30,000 transplants to treat many life-threatening diseases, such as leukemia and other cancers. In transplant medicine, a patient generally will undergo chemotherapy and then receive an infusion of cord blood stem cells to create a healthy blood and immune system.
In addition, a new field, called regenerative medicine, is evaluating cord blood stem cells’ ability to help repair and replace cells that have been damaged by disease or injury. These are conditions that have no cure today, such as autism, cerebral palsy, and pediatric stroke. These therapies are still experimental and there is no guarantee that treatments will be available.
Your baby’s banked stem cells belong to your baby. As your baby’s legal guardian, you act on your baby’s behalf in deciding what to do with the stem cells until the child turns 18 years old. After the child is 18 years old, only he or she can decide what to do with the cells. If you terminate the storage contract with your Private Blood Cord Bank before the child turns 18, you are deciding that it is your child’s best interests to not save these stem cells anymore. In such case, the Private Blood Cord Bank will own the sample. If you terminate the storage contract after the child turns 18, we will attempt to contact the child for instruction on whether to terminate the account.
Source: cordblood.com
AABB publishes voluntary standards for cellular therapy product services, including cord blood banking. These standards augment, rather than replace, any federal or state requirements. The standards describe the minimum acceptable requirements for facilities providing these services. These stringent standards cover all aspects of operation, including:
A process for approval of vendors providing supplies.
The consenting, donor screening and collection process.
Product qualification, testing, processing, storage and release.
Equipment and facility maintenance.
A process for personnel selection and training.
A process to monitor and improve quality of services.
While the AABB standards cover these items, it should be noted that the standards require a framework, plan and system for each item. The system includes written policies, processes and procedures. Except in a few cases such as testing for infectious diseases, the standards do not specifically prescribe how each of these may be done. The process is analogous to baking a cake. AABB would require a recipe, the proper materials, and a beautiful, iced, tasty cake at the end of the process. AABB would not specify which brand of eggs to use and whether a boxed cake mix might also be acceptable.
When a facility believes it complies with these standards, it applies foraccreditation by AABB. This involves a detailed and lengthy application process. The facility is then assessed by an objective team with experience in the cord blood field. Any evidence the team finds of non-compliance with the standards is brought to the attention of the bank, and corrective action must be taken before accreditation is granted. Accreditation is then granted for two years. AABB tracks customer complaints and follows up on any reported deficiencies. Only cord blood banks with a current accreditation have permission to use the AABB logo, and AABB investigates reports of misrepresentation or fraudulent use once the misuse is brought to its attention.
Source: aabb.org
No one knows for sure the shelf life of cord blood. Successful bone marrow transplants have been reported with products stored for more than 10 years, though the final expiration date for such products has not been established. Published studies indicate that UCB stem cells cryopreserved for 21-23.5 years have manifested biologic qualities equal to those at the time they were frozen. AABB requires stability studies so that facilities can begin to collect this data.
Source: aabb.org
Public Cord Blood Banking is Free. Private "Family" Cord Blood Banking ranges in price. Above is a video from Cord Blood Registry, one of the largest Cord Blood Banks in the United States.