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.
To most people this seems like a new concept but it has actually been around in the mid to late 1990s. The first successful transplant opened up many new opportunities for researchers. They thought if it could help to cure a small boy than they wondered what else it could be used for.
When deciding to save the umbilical cord blood the expecting mother should contact the bank she wants to use at the start of her last trimester of pregnancy. Some people choose a private bank for storage and others will choose a public bank for storage. By doing research anyone can determine which is the best option for them.
Both types of facilities have strict regulations on them. The Federal Drug Administration regulates these storage facilities. The public banks do not ask for a fee but the original family cannot receive their exact donation back if needed in the future because they are all anonymous and no identities are kept with the donation. In the private banks you pay a high priced fee but the family is also able to receive their donation back if needed because they store the donation with the identity of the donor.
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.
To most people this seems like a new concept but it has actually been around in the mid to late 1990s. The first successful transplant opened up many new opportunities for researchers. They thought if it could help to cure a small boy than they wondered what else it could be used for.
When deciding to save the umbilical cord blood the expecting mother should contact the bank she wants to use at the start of her last trimester of pregnancy. Some people choose a private bank for storage and others will choose a public bank for storage. By doing research anyone can determine which is the best option for them.
Both types of facilities have strict regulations on them. The Federal Drug Administration regulates these storage facilities. The public banks do not ask for a fee but the original family cannot receive their exact donation back if needed in the future because they are all anonymous and no identities are kept with the donation. In the private banks you pay a high priced fee but the family is also able to receive their donation back if needed because they store the donation with the identity of the donor.
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.
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