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Cord blood is the blood that stays in a baby's umbilical cord after it has been cut. Transplants of the stem cells from cord blood have successfully treated many types of diseases, including leukemia and other types of cancer. According to the Cord Blood Bank Information Center, doctors began banking newborn cord blood in the mid-1970s when they discovered human stem cells present in cord blood. In the 1980s, it was discovered that cord blood could be transplanted to treat disease and in 1988, a six-year-old boy became the first person ever to receive a cord blood transfusion which successfully treated his blood disorder. In 1991, another child was treated successfully, this time for a form of cancer known as chronic myelogenous leukemia. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says cord blood stem cell treatment, part of what is known as "regenerative medicine," can potentially cure not only cancer, but also diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and renal failure, osteoporosis and spinal cord injuries.
In the early 1990s, Cord Blood Registry (CBR) the largest cord blood bank in the world opened. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established standards for cord blood banking in 1998. Today, expectant parents have the option of banking their newborn's cord blood stem cells for use in the treatment of disease if needed. A child's own cord blood can be used to treat his disease or can be donated for use in others. CBR says cord blood infusions have been used to treat nearly 70 diseases, saving many lives. -
Stem cells are the building blocks of all tissues, organs and systems in the body. They are useful in the treatment of disease because they have the ability to transform into other types of cells like red and white blood cells, liver and nerve cells.
There has been controversy over stem cell research, but cord blood stem cells are not the focus of the controversy. Since cord blood stem cells are removed from a baby's umbilical cord, there is no harm done to the child. According to Maze Cord Blood Laboratories, there are two types of stem cells: cord blood stem cells and embryonic stem cells. It is the embryonic type of stem cell, called "pluripotent" stem cells, which have caused a stir because in order to obtain them, an embryo must be destroyed. - According to CBR, cord blood collection is a three-step process--collection, process and storage. After the birth of a newborn, whether by vaginal or c-section delivery, the umbilical cord is cut and the blood is simply drawn from the cord. The blood is then sealed and couriered to the collection facility chosen by the parents where it is processed and stored. The New York State Health Department says umbilical stem cells will remain viable indefinitely if they are correctly stored under liquid nitrogen.
- CBR says there are two ways you can bank cord blood--family banking and public donation. Family banking is when your child's cord blood is banked for use on the child himself or another family member. If you choose to make a public donation, your baby's cord blood becomes part of the national supply and can be used on anyone whose stem cells match. But there are drawbacks to using publicly donated cord blood. Success rates are much higher when the donation is from a genetic relative and only a limited number of hospitals use publicly donated cord blood. If the family chooses not to collect the cord blood, it will be discarded.
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Family cord blood banking typically costs from $1500 to $1900, according to CBR. Then you must pay an annual storage fee, usually around $125. There is no cost to publicly donate cord blood. To obtain a public donation costs approximately $35,000 per sample.
CBR and other cord blood banks do offer free collection and storage based on need. For example, if a family member is suffering from a disease treatable by cord blood, but does not have the financial resources, he may qualify. - Expectant parents interested in collecting their newborn's cord blood either for family banking or public donation should talk to their obstetrician for details on cord blood banking. There is also a wide variety of information online. See the Resources section for links.
