Preserving the Cord blood is a wise step

Cord blood has captivated the attention of medical research all over the world. More and more research has been devoted on the significance of cord blood.

When a new child is born, normally the umbilical cord and placenta are usually discarded but they retain blood what is known as placental blood or cord blood.

Medical research has revealed that cord blood contains valuable stem cells, which naturally produce red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets within the blood. These cells are instrumental to our blood and immune systems.

Stem cell therapy has helped people get back their lives. It has been key to curing some of the otherwise incurable diseases. Stem cell content in the cord blood after a baby’s birth is a vital resource for the future treatment of the child. So cord blood collection and its preservation is a step that can in future give a fresh whiff of life to many suffering souls.

Cord Blood Banks have been rendering service to mankind in the realm of health. The blood banks have helped people worldwide to preserve their new-borns’ umbilical cord blood for potential use against a number of probable diseases.

The blood banks have been receiving cord blood donation from the people of different nationalities. People have been encouraged to donate cord blood so that the future of their kids can be secured and they won't suffer from any incurable diseases. Blood Banks have been investing lot of money in research to find ways to preserve stem cells in a superior way. People can preserve their newborn's cord blood for future treatment. The process is quite simple.

Cord blood stem cells are extracted which results in literally no pain or any other risk for the mother or the child. These stem cells have lot of medical values for future treatment.

Saving precious lives

Life is fraught with diseases. Some are common while some can be life threatening. However with the advances made in medical science now it is possible to cure quite a good number of life threatening diseases with innovative ways. One such innovative breakthrough is the baby cord blood banking through which almost 70 diseases can be cured.

A cord blood bank is a place where a baby’s stem cells is stored which can be used later to treat many diseases that can’t be cured in the normal way. The stem cell of a baby is collected at the time of birth and the same is stored for a long time. Parents whose child is suffering from incurable diseases like blood cancer, thalassemia etc can now hope for a cure with bone marrow transplant through cord blood transplant. The success rate according to medical professionals is quite satisfactory and this has encouraged more and more people to come for this treatment.

Collection of stem cells poses no risk for the mother and the baby and is also painless. Usually just a month before the date of delivery a collection kit is provided. This kit comprises a phlebotomy kit and a collection bag. Parents have to take this kit to the hospital and give it to the health care provider. After the baby is delivered which can be either through vaginal or caesarian delivery the cord is cut and the blood of the cord is drained into the collection bag. On completion of the process the respective stem cell bank will send its personnel to collect the kit. It is then sent for processing and storage.

However this process has to follow certain parameters. Processing of cord blood must be done within the first 72 hours after the baby is born. In some states like New York the stipulated processing time is 48 hours. During processing red blood cells and plasma is separated from the cord blood. After that the stem cells are stored in frozen condition at 196 C in liquid nitrogen. The preserved stem cells have no expiration date and can be stored for quite a long time.

The preserved stem cells can be used in the future for treating diseases suffered by the baby or his/her family members with matching blood group. Stem cells are thawed before being used for treatment.

Cord blood stem cells facilitate both autoloqous (baby’s own cells) and allogenic (family member’s/unrelated donors cells) transplants. Diseases that are degenerative like cerebral palsy, stroke, Type 1 diabetes etc require an autoloqous transplant and genetically based diseases requires an allogenic transplant.

Cord Blood -- A Ray of Hope

Every year, around 18,000 Americans are diagnosed with conditions that would be helped by cord blood transplant. In other words, if somebody comes forward to donate cord blood, he or she will help others patients breathe a whiff of fresh air. He will give the patient a new lease of life. But 70% of these patients don't have related donor and must find one through the national registry.

The shortage of minority donors has forced national and local agencies to rev up efforts to expand programs that offer expecting women and couples a chance to donate a small blood sample extracted from the umbilical cord after birth for donation to cord blood banks.

All parents want a healthy baby. They may go to any extent to protect and secure the health of the new born. Medical science has also achieved a lot on how to protect the health of the babies. Latest researches on medical science have made it amply clear that creating a secure and healthy environment for the new-born should start from the moment of conception. In the study of stem cell therapy some new facts have come to light. The researchers have found that stem cells can also be affected by toxic materials that exist in the environment.

Dr. Sandra Steingraber in her acclaimed book having Faith, an Ecologist’s Journey to Motherhood wrote: “Of all of the members of a human population, fetuses are the most vulnerable to toxic harm.”

A study on cord blood cells by the U.S. Environmental Working Group (EWG) found hundreds of industrial chemicals in the blood of 10 babies.

According to the study, out of the 287 chemicals detected by the team in umbilical cord blood, they came to know that 180 caused cancer in humans or animals, 217 were toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 caused birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests. It is essential to ensure a safe environment for the mother to get toxic free cord blood of the baby.

Enormous Possibilities in Stem Cells

Stem cells are those cells that are capable of transforming into different types of cells that are present in our body. Until recently, bone marrow was the preferred source of obtaining these cells. But breakthroughs in the medical field have given us a new source of these ‘all important’ cells. This, relatively easy to explore source, is the umbilical cord blood banking. This blood is a major source of stem cells that are capable of turning into full-grown blood cells.

As such umbilical cord blood stem cells can be used in the treatment of many life-threatening diseases like leukemia and Alzheimer’s. These cells are capable of repairing the damaged cells in various parts of the body, even the most sensitive one- the brain. Various immune system related diseases and the diseases pertaining to the metabolic system are also curable in this fashion. Apart from that they also have the potential of regeneration of muscles that get damaged by one disease or the other. Actually, in the category of stem cells, the embryonic stem cells are given preference over umbilical stem cells because the latter are often termed as adult stem cells and hence are not considered much effective.

Now the scientific thought has underwent a sea change as regards the efficacy of umbilical cord blood collection. There is another benefit involved also and that being an end to debate over ethical issues involved in embryonic stem cells. The baby is not at all harmed and there is absolutely no question of ‘killing’ of any human life.

Because there is no awareness regarding the umbilical cord blood storage, many a time a person has to use the stem cells obtained from other person. These are not much effective and are often rejected by the recipient body. Only if a person has got his cord blood stored in such blood banks, can he be sure of getting his own stem cells for treatment. There is a need for great understanding and awareness in this regard as this ‘hot’ area of stem cell research has caught the fancy of some scientists as well as patients in the recent past. The track record of umbilical cord cells is very good as far as the success of the treatment is concerned. It is in no way inferior to that of embryonic stem cells – some specialists say it’s even better. The world medical fraternity is now moving towards this enormous possibility for the benefit of mankind.