Cord blood banking is the blood of the umbilical cord being donated to be stored after delivery. This is becoming a more popular idea among not only the medical community but as with regular everyday people as well. It has been proven to be more effective and allow for more opportunities than the regular bone marrow transplants. Researchers are quickly coming up with more advances in their research and are hoping to be able to help cure more illnesses especially in young children.
Some people feel this is a fairly new concept. It is not the oldest study done but it has been around since the mid to late 1990s. The first documented case of this type of transplant was in 1988 given to a young boy. It deemed successful and has been rapidly advancing since then.
When wanting to donate the expecting mother must donate the bank by her thirty fourth week of pregnancy. She must also decided whether to use a private or public bank. If looking for a list of public banks searching on The National Marrow Donor Program website is an excellent source of information. Private and public banks are similar but do have a few differences.
The Federal Drug Administration over sees these storage buildings. There are very strict regulations on them. In the public banks once it is donated the families cannot receive their own back. Safety is a concern in the public banks because of the high cost of maintaining the storage unit. They do not charge any type of fee. In private banks however, they charge a very costly fee. The average fee is around twenty five hundred dollars. They also choose to store it with the identity to the owner in case the owner would need to use it in the future.
This is collected after the umbilical cord is cut. The cord blood is rich in hematopoietic cells and also progenitor cells. These cells can help to form platelets along with white and red blood cells. Before the storage process takes place the cord is tested for a variety of different things. Some testing includes is tissue typing, checking for fungus growth, cell count, HIV testing and Hepatitis B and C. These need to be checked so if needed in the future the recipient would not acquire such diseases.
These transplants are used to help cure and treat genetic diseases and cancer. They also focus on immune deficiencies and blood diseases. People sometimes are unable to use their own but their siblings or parents have a higher compatibility rate. It just varies from person to person. By using your own families stored blood there seems to be less complications and more improved medical treatment with fewer complications.
There are several different opinions on how to store this for future use. The first is to process it while separating and removing the red blood cells. The other is to leave the red cells to remain with it. The main concern is the potential use of the long term viability of the cryogenically frozen blood. No one really has the best procedure for the preservation.
If you are expecting a child or know someone who is this is a decision to ponder. It could save your life or someone else's life in the future. Instead of throwing away the cord at delivery and all its advantages maybe saving it for future use just may be the best option.
Some people feel this is a fairly new concept. It is not the oldest study done but it has been around since the mid to late 1990s. The first documented case of this type of transplant was in 1988 given to a young boy. It deemed successful and has been rapidly advancing since then.
When wanting to donate the expecting mother must donate the bank by her thirty fourth week of pregnancy. She must also decided whether to use a private or public bank. If looking for a list of public banks searching on The National Marrow Donor Program website is an excellent source of information. Private and public banks are similar but do have a few differences.
The Federal Drug Administration over sees these storage buildings. There are very strict regulations on them. In the public banks once it is donated the families cannot receive their own back. Safety is a concern in the public banks because of the high cost of maintaining the storage unit. They do not charge any type of fee. In private banks however, they charge a very costly fee. The average fee is around twenty five hundred dollars. They also choose to store it with the identity to the owner in case the owner would need to use it in the future.
This is collected after the umbilical cord is cut. The cord blood is rich in hematopoietic cells and also progenitor cells. These cells can help to form platelets along with white and red blood cells. Before the storage process takes place the cord is tested for a variety of different things. Some testing includes is tissue typing, checking for fungus growth, cell count, HIV testing and Hepatitis B and C. These need to be checked so if needed in the future the recipient would not acquire such diseases.
These transplants are used to help cure and treat genetic diseases and cancer. They also focus on immune deficiencies and blood diseases. People sometimes are unable to use their own but their siblings or parents have a higher compatibility rate. It just varies from person to person. By using your own families stored blood there seems to be less complications and more improved medical treatment with fewer complications.
There are several different opinions on how to store this for future use. The first is to process it while separating and removing the red blood cells. The other is to leave the red cells to remain with it. The main concern is the potential use of the long term viability of the cryogenically frozen blood. No one really has the best procedure for the preservation.
If you are expecting a child or know someone who is this is a decision to ponder. It could save your life or someone else's life in the future. Instead of throwing away the cord at delivery and all its advantages maybe saving it for future use just may be the best option.
About the Author:
Located at Toronto General Hospital, we are a Cord blood clinic experienced in Cord blood banking Canada and cord blood banking.