FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions:
What are the facts about cord blood?
What is the purpose of cord blood banking?
What types of cord blood banks are available to me?
What does it cost to bank cord blood?
Umbilical cord blood serves as a lifeline to your baby prior to birth. It’s what connects the fetus to the placenta, delivering nutrient-rich and oxygen-rich blood to the unborn baby. After birth, the umbilical cord blood and placenta are normally discarded once detached from the baby. However, the umbilical cord and placenta contain the blood-forming cells that can later be used for patients in need of transplants.
Umbilical cord blood cells possess the two properties of all stem cells: they can go through cycles of cell division and have the capacity to differentiate into specialized cell types. In practice, these cells should have the ability to produce new blood cells and immune cells over a lifetime, helping the body replenish itself with new specialized cells.
While there is a lot of controversy surrounding the topic of stem cells, cord blood cells are adult stem cells, which differ significantly from the controversial embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cell harvesting requires destroying an embryo to extract the stem cells, which is why it is such a controversial social issue.
Adult stem cell treatments have been researched and tested since the 1960’s, with the first successful bone marrow transplant occurring in 1968. It wasn’t until 1978 that hematopoietic stem cells were discovered in cord blood. These are the stem cells that give rise to all of the blood cell types.
Currently, adult stem cells are used in varying treatments. Both bone marrow and cord blood stem cells have been used to treat cancer patients who suffer from conditions such as leukemia and lymphoma. Cancer patients undergo intensive chemotherapy, a process which destroys the cancerous cells, as well as the cells that generate stem cells. In this case, stem cell transplants are thus a means to hopefully reverse the negative side-affects of chemotherapy. If the patient has no stored cord blood cells, a donor match is required.
There is relatively no risk to the mother or child when the cord blood is collected.
Umbilical cord blood is one of three sources of transplant stem cells; the other two are bone marrow and circulating blood. The latter sources come from adult donors, and may require more accurate matching to patients (a “perfect matchâ€). The harvesting of cord blood contains less risk than bone marrow donation, which can expose the patient to harmful infection. The purpose of cord blood banking is to ensure its future use for the baby or a close relative of the baby, if needed, with the potential for positive treatment.
As mentioned above, not only can cord blood be stored for future use for the baby as an exact match source, it also can be used to help treat other family members who might not find a perfect donor match, a process that can take days, weeks or months to complete. While the chances of a match remains low, in some cases, cord blood can be matched to the child’s siblings, parents, and other relatives.
The likelihood that a child may need their own cord blood for transplant is low, but the chances they might need it during the course of their lifetime will increase over time. As we grow into adults, some of us develop various types of cancer, and this is the reason cord blood banking can have a potential use for unseen developments. In addition, families with a history of cancer may want to consider cord blood banking.
The potential for cord blood usage is also increasing. Scientific research of stem cells is constantly growing and evolving, which means that cord blood might one day be able to treat a wider variety of disorders and diseases than it can today.
There are two types of cord blood banks: public and private. It is up to you to decide if a public donation or private banking is the right option.
Public donations are given to public cord blood banks that have the capacity to accept the donation. There is no fee required to donate cord blood, however, it costs approximately $1,000 for the bank to process it for storage, so budgetary constraints can become an issue. Public banks can receive income from federal or grant funding, private banks, or selling existing donations to research.
Once donated, the blood becomes property of the bank, which would either be used for transplants, research, or possibly discarded. All ownership of the blood is signed away when it is donated to a public bank. Public cord blood banks have a strict policy they must adhere to in order to have a donor’s blood added to their registry — just like a regular blood bank. Therefore, there is no guarantee that the donated blood will go to a patient in need of a transplant.
Private banking involves storing the cord blood for a fee. This gives the parents the option of keeping ownership of the cord blood, which can be used later on to treat genetic blood disorders, leukemia, some cancers, and/or some inherited disorders, for the child or members of the child’s family. Private banks are also referred to as family banks.
It is important that parents educate themselves on the credibility of the private banking facilities at their disposal. While private cord blood banking may be preferred, there do exist companies that may cut corners with processing in order to lower their collection fee. Researching the history and credibility of private banks is highly recommended.
Private cord blood banks do require a fee, which may initially depend on the length of commitment. Normally the fees range from $1,000 - $2,000 for the first year, with additional banking fees for each additional year of storage.