What is cord blood?
Umbilical cord blood or cord blood is the blood that stays in the umbilical cord and placenta after the birth of your baby. This blood contains special cells called stem cells that can help treat diseases in children and adults. The stem cells in cord blood are primitive, or undeveloped, and can be transplanted in persons to treat a number of life-threatening diseases. Stem cells from cord blood are different from embryonic stem cells that come from developing human or animal embryos. Cord blood stem cells do not come from embryos. In the past, cord blood was usually discarded after the infant was delivered. Cord blood can now be collected and stored in a cord blood bank for future use.
Who can benefit from the stem cells in cord blood?
Cord blood transplants can benefit immediate family members, extended family members, and non-related children and adults with certain conditions. Cord blood also may be able to help persons who are waiting for life-saving treatments. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, transplants of cord blood cells have already saved the lives of thousands of Americans with a variety of diseases.
What medical treatments use cord blood?
Transplants of cord blood stem cells have been used for many years to treat disorders that include malignant and non-malignant conditions such as blood cancers, rare inherited disorders of metabolism, diseases of the immune system, and more. Treatment of these disorders using cord blood is not experimental. Research on emerging therapies in which the patient’s own cells are used to repair the body may expand the application of cord blood that is stored for personal use. Scientists are studying whether cord blood can be used to treat other common disorders of the heart, bones, liver, brain, as well as other conditions including diabetes, and Parkinson’s Disease.
How can cord blood help?
The stem cells in cord blood are important because they make many different types of cells in the body. Stem cells in cord blood can help build new, healthy cells and can be transplanted in persons to treat a number of life-threatening conditions. Cord blood can be used in autologous transplants (when an individual receives his or her own cord blood) or more often, allogeneic transplantations (when a person receives umbilical cord blood donated from someone else).
How is cord blood collected? Is it safe?
Collecting cord blood is safe for both babies and mothers. The collection will not affect your baby’s health or your birth experience because cord blood is collected after your baby is born. If you would like your baby’s cord blood to be collected and stored for future use, you must make arrangements in advance with either a public or private cord blood bank you selected.
After your baby is born, cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord and placed in a special container that is sent to a cord blood bank. The cord blood and mother’s blood samples are then processed and tested. If the mother’s blood sample identifies the presence of infectious disease, she will be notified. Once the cord blood bank determines the cord blood can be used, it is stored for future use.
What are the choices for storing cord blood? What is the right way for my family?
Cord blood is frozen after it is collected and stored in cord blood banks. There are two types of cord blood banks: public cord blood banks and private or family cord blood banks.
Public Cord Blood Banking
Public cord blood banks collect and store donated cord blood stem cells for use for those who are in need of a stem cell transplantation and are a close enough match to the cord blood donor. Transplantations are anonymous and no information about your baby is provided to the patient receiving the cord blood. Every year thousands of Americans seek an unrelated stem cell donor. Cord blood does not have to be exactly matched to the patient, and hence, cord blood donations are particularly important to provide transplants for patients who are of minority or mixed heritage. Not all families are eligible to donate cord blood and not all cord blood collections will meet the requirements for public storage. However, there is no guarantee that the cord blood
