GptAdmin : Health : Cord_Blood_Banking

The term Cord Blood Banking refers to the collection, processing and preservation of blood obtained from the Umbilical Cord and placenta of a baby after birth. The procedure for Cord Blood Banking is completely painless for mother and infant and poses no physical risks. Umbilical Cord Blood is valuable medically because it contains stem cells.

Stem cells are cells that are not yet highly specialized. Stem cells can be transformed into more differentiated cells such as red blood cells which transport oxygen through the body, white blood cells, which combat infection, or platelets which are instrumental in blood clotting. Stem cells obtained from Umbilical Cord Blood can be used to treat literally dozens of life-threatening diseases including certain types of cancer, blood diseases, genetic diseases, metabolic diseases, and immunodeficiencies. Deciding whether Cord Blood Banking is right for you can be a simple or more complex decision depending on your circumstances.

Private Cord Blood Banks market their services to parents as an insurance policy against potential future illness. The initial cost for collection and processing of Cord Blood ranges from approximately $900 to $1800. There are many private cord blood banks to choose from. Some are licensed while others are unlicensed. The Umbilical Cord Blood Banking companies on this page are some of the leaders in the industry and if you are considering Cord Blood Banking they may be a good place to start.

Sites:

» Banking Your Newborn's Cord Blood -

On the day you deliver your baby, you'll probably be overcome with visions of your future with your child - first smiles and steps, birthday parties and sports events, and holidays and life milestones. Your little one ever becoming seriously ill will probably be the last thing on your mind.

But some parents do consider the possibility that a serious illness might someday affect their child - and they make a choice on the day their baby is born that might impact the future health of that child or even their other children. They're deciding to bank their newborn's cord blood.

So, what is cord-blood banking, and is it right for you?

Cord-Blood Banking

After a baby is delivered, the mother's body releases the placenta, the temporary organ that transferred oxygen and nutrients to the baby while in the mother's uterus. Until recently, in most cases the umbilical cord and placenta were discarded after birth without a second thought. But during the 1970s, researchers discovered that umbilical cord blood could supply the same kinds of blood-forming (hematopoietic) stem cells as a bone marrow donor. And so, umbilical cord blood began to be collected and stored.

What are blood-forming stem cells? These are primitive (early) cells found primarily in the bone marrow that are capable of developing into the three types of mature blood cells present in our blood - red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Cord-blood stem cells may also have the potential to give rise to other cell types in the body.

Some serious illnesses (such as certain childhood cancers, blood diseases, and immune system disorders) require radiation and chemotherapy treatments to kill diseased cells in the body. Unfortunately, these treatments also kill many "good" cells along with the bad, including healthy stem cells that live in the bone marrow.

Depending on the type of disease and treatment needed, some children need a bone marrow transplant (from a donor whose marrow cells closely match their own). Blood-forming stem cells from the donor are transplanted into the child who is ill, and those cells go on to manufacture new, healthy blood cells and enhance the child's blood-producing and immune system capability.

Collection of the cord blood takes place shortly after birth in both vaginal and cesarean (c-section) deliveries. It's done using a specific kit that parents must order ahead of time from their chosen cord-blood bank.

After a vaginal delivery, the umbilical cord is clamped on both sides and cut. In most cases, an experienced obstetrician or nurse collects the cord blood before the placenta is delivered. One side of the umbilical cord is unclamped, and a small tube is passed into the umbilical vein to collect the blood. After blood has been collected from the cord, needles are placed on the side of the surface of the placenta that was connected to the fetus to collect more blood and cells from the large blood vessels that fed the fetus.

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 and the mother's uterus has been sutured, 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. If using the stem cells ever becomes necessary, having more to implant increases the chances of engraftment (successful transplantation).

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. Once there, the sample is given an identifying number. Then the stem cells are separated from the rest of the blood and are stored cryogenically (frozen in liquid nitrogen) in a collection facility, also known as a cord-blood bank. Then, if needed, blood-forming stem cells can be thawed and used in either autologous procedures (when a person 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).

How long can blood-forming stem cells last when properly stored? Theoretically, stem cells should last forever, but cord-blood research has only been ongoing since the 1970s, so the maximum time for storage and potential usage are still being determined. Blood-forming stem cells that have been stored up to 14 years have been used successfully in transplants.

Pros and Cons

Cord-blood banking isn't routine in hospital or home deliveries - it's a procedure you have to choose and plan for beforehand, so be sure to consider your decision carefully before delivery day.

The primary reason that parents consider banking their newborn's cord blood is because they have a child or close relative with or a family medical history of diseases that can be treated with bone marrow transplants. Some diseases that more commonly involve bone marrow transplants include certain kinds of leukemia or lymphoma, aplastic anemia, severe sickle cell anemia, and severe combined immune deficiency.

The odds that the average baby without risk factors will ever use his or her own banked cord blood is considered low; however, no accurate estimates exist at this time.

The expense of collecting and storing the cord blood can be a deciding factor for many families. At a commercial cord-blood bank, you'll pay approximately $1,500 to store a sample of cord blood, in addition to a $100 yearly maintenance fee. You might also pay an additional fee of several hundred dollars for the cord-blood collection kit, courier service to the cord-blood bank, and initial processing.

In most cases, stem cell transplants are performed only on children or young adults. The larger the size of the person, the more blood-forming stem cells that are needed for a successful transplant. Umbilical cord blood stem cells aren't adequate in quantity to complete an adult's transplant.

In addition, it's not known whether stem cells taken from a relative offer more success than those taken from an unrelated donor. Stem cells from cord blood from both related and unrelated donors have been successful in many transplants. That's because blood-forming stem cells taken from cord blood are naive (a medical term for early cells that are still highly adaptable and are less likely to be rejected by the recipient's immune system). Therefore, donor cord-blood stem cells do not need to be a perfect match to create a successful bone marrow transplant.

There has been little experience with transplanting self-donated cells. Some experts are concerned that an ill baby who receives his or her own stem cells during a transplant would be prone to a repeat of the same disease. Most of the bone marrow transplants that use blood-forming stem cells have been performed on relatives of the donating child, not on the donating child.

The risks to the health of the mother and baby at the time of collection are low, but they do exist. Clamping the umbilical cord too soon after birth may increase the amount of collected blood, but it could cause the baby to have a lower blood volume and possible anemia soon after birth.

Is It Right for You?

As parents evaluate their reasons for banking their newborn's cord blood and begin to research cord-blood bank facilities, there are many considerations and cautions to keep in mind.

Some doctors and organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), have expressed concern that cord-blood banks may capitalize on the fears of vulnerable new parents by providing misleading information about the statistics of bone marrow transplants. Parents of children of ethnic or racial minorities, adopted children, or children conceived through in vitro fertilization may be especially encouraged to bank cord blood because it's statistically harder to find a match in these cases.

The AAP doesn't recommend cord-blood banking for families who don't have a history of disease. That's because research has not yet determined the likelihood that a child would ever need his or her own stem cells, nor has it confirmed that transplantation using self-donated cells rather than cells from a relative or stranger is safer or more effective. According to the AAP, "private storage of cord blood as 'biological insurance' is unwise. However, banking should be considered if there is a family member with a current or potential need to undergo a stem cell transplantation."

Other doctors and researchers support saving umbilical cord blood as a source of blood-forming stem cells in every delivery - mainly because of the promise that stem-cell research holds for the future. Most people would have little use for stem cells now, but research into the use of stem cells for treatment of disease is ongoing - and the future looks promising.

If you do decide to bank your newborn's cord blood, be sure to discuss your options with your obstetrician. Here are a few questions to consider before choosing a cord-blood bank:

How financially stable is the cord-blood bank? (Financial stability means a reduced chance that you will have to transfer your sample if the facility closes.)

How many samples are processed in the facility?

(A larger number of samples usually means that there are more collection and handling procedures in place.)

Do I have the option of switching to another facility if I choose?

What happens to my sample if the facility goes out of business?

What are the yearly fees and maintenance costs involved? Will these fees increase, or are they fixed?

Like community or hospital blood banks, cord-blood banks are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has developed standards regulating future cord-blood collection and storage.

Donating Your Baby's Cord Blood

You may decide that instead of banking your newborn's cord blood, you'd like to donate it to a nonprofit cord-blood bank for research or to save the life of another child. By choosing this option, the cord blood will still be collected after your child's birth, but it will be anonymously marked and sent to a public bank. However, if your child or a family member later develops a disease that requires a bone marrow transplant for treatment, you won't be able to obtain the donation you made to the bank.

If you'd like to donate your child's umbilical cord blood, contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross or a local university hospital, or check the National Marrow Donor Program's list of registered cord-blood facilities that accept donations. You'll need to give proper written consent before you donate your child's umbilical cord blood, but there's no cost and the process is confidential.

Reviewed by: Michael Trigg, MD

Date reviewed: June 2004

» Cord Blood Banking - Keep Kids Healthy Pregnancy Guide -

Cord Blood Banking

If you are pregnant or have recently had a baby, you are likely at least a little familiar with the idea of banking or preserving your new baby's umbilical cord blood.

This umbilical cord blood is saved when a baby is born, cryogenically stored, and then available if your child later becomes sick and needs a bone marrow transplant. This type of transplant would be 'autologous' and is different than the more common 'allogenic' transplants that might be done from a sibling or other relative or an unrelated donor.

The ads from the companies that provide this service, such as ViaCord and Cord Blood Registry, are very persuasive. Who wouldn't want to do something that might save their baby's life?

And many of the articles on other parenting and pregnancy sites seem to provide unbiased articles on cord blood banking, but the ads from Cord Blood Registry and ViaCord on the same pages make these articles seem less credible. The article on one site is actually provided by ViaCord, which would seem to make the whole page an advertisement, althought that isn't mentioned anywhere.

So how do you make a decision about cord blood banking?

If you begin to investigate cord blood banking, the first road block that you will likely come upon is the price.

The price at ViaCord begins at $1500 for collection of the cord blood and then $95/year for storage. Since the blood is saved for up to 21 years, the total cost would be about $3500, unless you prepay for storage, which can save you up to $500.

The Cord Blood Registry has similar pricing, with a $1290 enrollment and processing fee and then a $95/year storage fee, although you can save some money here too if you prepay for storage.

Although these prices will put cord blood banking out of reach of many families, you will likely have some feeling guilty that they can't afford to take this opportunity to possibly 'save' their babies life.

Should they feel guilty?

Should you bank your baby's cord blood?

The answer to the first one is a definite no. The American Academy of Pediatrics goes as far as saying that 'it is difficult to recommend that parents store their children's cord blood for future use.'

The second question is something that you will have to decide for yourself.

The answer is easier if you have a child or family member that already has a condition that can be treated with a stem cell transplant, such as sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, aplastic anemia, leukemia, metabolic storage disorders and certain genetic immunodeficiencies. In this case, you should definitely try to bank your child's umbilical cord blood.

There is actually a program called the Sibling Donor Cord Blood Program at Children's Hospital of Oakland where you can bank your child's umbilical cord blood for free if you meet their eligibility requirements. which includes having a child with a transplantable condition, having a child with a prenatal diagnosis of a transplantable condition, or if your unborn child is at high risk for a having a transplantable condition.

While the claims are true that a bone marrow transplant using your own child's cord blood stem cells could save his life, the actual chances that you would have to use his stem cells is very small, and only about 1 in 2,700.

1 in 2,700 means that for every 2700 umbilical cord stem cells saved, only 1 would be used. That number is misleading though. Some, if not many, of those children might be treated with other therapies if stem cells weren't available.

For example, while an autologous stem cell transplant could be used as a treatment for leukemia, it has been shown to be no more effective than chemotherapy.

For other disorders, an allogenic transplant from a sibling or an unrelated donor might also be available for use.

Or you might even be able to find a stem cell match from a umilical cord blood bank that stores donated stem cells from unrelated donors from the National Marrow Donor Program Cord Blood Banks.

So it is not like there is a 100% chance that your child will not have a life saving treatment available if stem cells hadn't been saved.

Still, having your child's cord blood available does have benefits, including that:

the cord blood is easily available if you ever do need it

these stem cells will be a perfect match for your child, while there is only a 25% chance that a sibling will be a match

Umbilical cord blood banking does raise a lot of ethical questions. If cord blood banking is a good idea, is it fair that only people who can afford it will be able to have a chance at a life saving therapy for their children?

This question will be less of an issue if there is an expansion of the unrelated cord blood banks. With this type of cord blood bank, it is possible to donate your child's cord blood for free if you live near one of the National Marrow Donor Program Cord Blood Banks in 14 states in the United States, including Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington.. These stem cells could then be used by unrelated children who need a transplant and search their registry. Since there is no cost or risk to you to do this, if you decide not to bank your child's stem cells for your own use, you might consider donating them.

» Cord Blood Banking - Should you bank your baby's umbilical cord blood? - Cord Blood Banking

From Vincent Iannelli, M.D.,

Your Guide to Pediatrics.

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Cord Blood Banking

Expecting parents are faced with a lot of important decisions before their baby is born. These include the basics, such as what to name the baby, which Pediatrician to go to, breastfeeding vs. formula feeding, etc. And more and more, they are having to consider the issue of whether or not to bank their baby's umbilical cord blood.

From ads in parenting magazines, direct mailings, and flyers in their obstetrician's office, expecting parents are repeatedly told of their 'once-in-a-lifetime chance' to save their baby's umbilical cord blood for possible use later to save his life.

Since it doesn't hurt to take a baby's umbilical cord blood and it would in fact be discarded anyway, you wouldn't think that there would be much of an issue with cord blood banking. What parent wouldn't want to do everything that they could to make sure that their baby grows up to be healthy?

But the issue isn't really with cord blood banking, which every parent should likely try to do. The issue is more about banking blood in a for-profit private cord blood bank for a family's own use. As an alternative, parents can donate their baby's umbilical cord blood in a public bank for free.

Background

Umbilical cord blood stem cells can be used in transplants to treat a variety of pediatric disorders, including leukemia, sickle cell disease, and metabolic disorders. Patients who need a cord blood transplant can currently try to find a match with a sibling or from an unrelated person. An autologous (self) transplant can also be done if a child's umbilical cord blood has been stored in a private cord blood bank, although you wouldn't do that for conditions like leukemia because of the genetic risk of the leukemia being in the cord blood too

» Cord Blood Banking Umbilical Cord Blood Storage -

The number of parents choosing to bank their child抯 umbilical cord blood is doubling each year. To meet market demand, new companies offering cord blood banking services continue to enter into the marketplace.

With so many banks to choose from, how do parents know which is best for them? At first glance, all cord blood companies may seem alike: what are the differences? Why would you choose to bank with Cord Partners versus others?

Accreditations & Licenses

Proven Technology

Competitive Pricing

Education & Service

» Cord Blood Banks:marrow.org -

Cord Blood Banks

Cord blood banks recruit expectant mothers to donate their baby's umbilical cord blood for transplants. The blood in the umbilical cord and placenta is unique because it contains large numbers of blood-forming cells. The blood-forming cells from cord blood are being studied under research protocols as a new method for treating patients with life-threatening diseases. The cord blood banks collect, process, test and store the donated umbilical cord blood. Blood from each cord is frozen (cryopreserved) as an individual cord blood unit that is available to transplant.

» Cord Blood Registry, The Name to Trust in Cord Blood Banking -

Storing your baby's lifesaving cord blood stem cells provides you with peace of mind and a powerful medical resource used to treat many severe illnesses for your child and loved ones. Discover today why we’re the most trusted and most reliable cord blood bank in the industry.

» Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Banks -

Mission Statement

The mission of this website is to provide an impartial review of cord blood storage options for parents who are contemplating this form of medical "insurance". We review the medical motivations for banking umbilical cord blood, and the difference between donating to a public bank versus paying for private storage. This website compiles and maintains the only international list of private cord blood banks. A list of public banks in the United States is also provided. For private banks, we furnish consumers with a guide to evaluating their services, in the form of a questionnaire .

The personal motivation for creating this web site is to perform a public service.

We are not affiliated with any storage bank, do not receive any compensation for our efforts, and do not issue bank recommendations.

This site is dedicated in memory of my daughter Shai Miranda Verter

» The UCLA Umbilical Cord Blood Bank -

The mission of the UCLA Umbilical Cord Blood Bank is to support patients in need of a bone marrow transplant by banking umbilical cord blood from a variety of ethnic groups with continuing quality improvement and in an environment that fosters research.

Last Updated: 2005-10-28 01:28:48