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Cord Blood Banking FAQ
_by R.l. Fielding
Many parents-to-be are unfamiliar with the cord blood banking process and are eager to learn more. In an effort to provide new moms and dads with useful information on everything from collection to long-term storage, leading cord blood bank LifebankUSA™ provides answers to the following frequently asked questions:
What is cord blood banking?
Cord blood banking is the long-term storage of stem cells collected from a newborn’s umbilical cord blood. This is done to preserve the stem cells for potential therapeutic use in the future as stem cells can replace other blood cells in the body that are abnormal or have been destroyed by disease.
Through a careful collection and cryogenic (freezing) storage process, these cells can be successfully banked for many years to come. LifebankUSA is the first company to offer parents the option to collect and store stem cells from two sources: the umbilical cord and the placenta. It’s called Placenta•Cord banking.
Why bank both placental and cord blood stem cells?
To bank the most stem cells possible. Banking both placental and cord blood stem cells provides a greater collection than standard cord blood collections alone. Increasing the total number of stem cells has been proven to improve the potential for a successful transplant should your family ever need the stem cells you are storing.
By banking both placental and cord blood stem cells, you are significantly increasing the number of stem cells banked and helping to best prepare and protect your family for the future.
How does saving stem cells help my child?
Banking placental and cord blood stem cells represents an investment in your child’s -- and your whole family’s -- future health. So far, stem cells have been used to treat patients with some 80 known diseases, including leukemia and immune system disorders and to date there have been over 8,000 cord blood units transplanted worldwide (1). Exciting research is under way to find future medical uses.
Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, heart disease, cartilage damage, diabetes, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and spinal cord injury are all being studied. So the stem cells you store today may have even greater potential tomorrow.
How is cord blood collected?
At the time of delivery, the expectant parents take a collection kit provided by the cord blood bank with them to the hospital. The hospital staff will perform the required steps to prepare for the collection of your baby’s cord blood (and collection of the placenta, if applicable). A blood sample is also taken from the mother at this time for testing – including infectious disease testing.
Once your baby is born and the umbilical cord has been cut, your health care provider will perform the cord blood collection. There are two methods of cord blood collection: gravity or syringe. However, the gravity bag method is the industry standard.
The gravity method is preferred because it is a completely closed system, which means less risk of contamination because processing is done without exposure to the environment.
The gravity method involves elevating the placenta so that gravity forces cord blood down through the umbilical cord and into the collection bag. For placenta-derived stem cells, the placenta is simply placed into a special bag in the delivery room and processed at the laboratory.
Once the collection process is complete, the health care provider will place the cord blood into the collection kit in preparation for transport to the cord blood bank.
Is the collection of umbilical cord blood and the placenta safe for my baby and me?
Absolutely. The collection process is safe and painless for both mother and baby as the umbilical cord has already been separated from the baby. The process is noninvasive, performed by your health care provider, and only takes about 5 minutes.
How is the collection kit transported to the processing center?
The arrangements for transporting your collection kit will vary based on the policies of the cord blood bank. In some instances, parents may have to arrange for transport, preferably through a professional medical courier.
Other facilities, including LifebankUSA, will send a courier to pick the kit up from your hospital bedside. For added peace-of-mind, LifebankUSA uses a courier which employs secure chain-of-custody handling practices.
How is cord blood processed and stored?
Again, this varies by facility. At LifebankUSA, once your collection kit is identified and assessed, the cord blood is taken to a laboratory where we extract the stem cells for storage. Additionally, LifebankUSA receives the intact placenta and separately processes it, significantly increasing the total number of stem cells collected.
The cord blood and the placenta are processed in two separate labs and are stored as two separate stem cell units.
LifebankUSA collects and processes your baby's stem cells in a completely closed system, an approach which ensures the most sterile conditions possible for the processing and storing of your baby's cord blood stem cells.
This means that the collection bag in which your baby's cord blood and placenta leaves the hospital is the same collection bag in which it will be processed. Through specialized equipment for use with our storage bags, we are able to transfer the cells into the cryogenic (freezing) bag via this closed system.
Are the potential uses of cord blood likely to increase?
Yes. The placental and cord blood stem cells that parents are banking today may become even more valuable in the future. Research is constantly underway to find new medical uses for stem cells, including treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, diabetes, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), spinal cord injuries, and cardiac repair.
Within decades, through the use of cord blood and placental stem cells, life-saving treatments for these conditions could become a reality.
If you’d like to learn more about banking your baby’s stem cells, please visit www.lifebankusa.com or call 1-877-LIFEBANKUSA (1-877-543-3226) to speak with a LifebankUSA Client Education Specialist.
Sources
1.The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Cord blood stem cell transplantation. Available at: http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/attachments/National/br_1128624081.pdf. Accessed February 23, 2007.
LifebankUSA is one of the largest cord blood banks in the world and is also the world's first bank to offer families the new option to collect and preserve stem cells derived from the placenta as well as the umbilical cord (Placenta•Cord™ banking) for hematopoietic reconstitution.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com
Many parents-to-be are unfamiliar with the cord blood banking process and are eager to learn more. In an effort to provide new moms and dads with useful information on everything from collection to long-term storage, leading cord blood bank LifebankUSA™ provides answers to the following frequently asked questions:
What is cord blood banking?
Cord blood banking is the long-term storage of stem cells collected from a newborn’s umbilical cord blood. This is done to preserve the stem cells for potential therapeutic use in the future as stem cells can replace other blood cells in the body that are abnormal or have been destroyed by disease.
Through a careful collection and cryogenic (freezing) storage process, these cells can be successfully banked for many years to come. LifebankUSA is the first company to offer parents the option to collect and store stem cells from two sources: the umbilical cord and the placenta. It’s called Placenta•Cord banking.
Why bank both placental and cord blood stem cells?
To bank the most stem cells possible. Banking both placental and cord blood stem cells provides a greater collection than standard cord blood collections alone. Increasing the total number of stem cells has been proven to improve the potential for a successful transplant should your family ever need the stem cells you are storing.
By banking both placental and cord blood stem cells, you are significantly increasing the number of stem cells banked and helping to best prepare and protect your family for the future.
How does saving stem cells help my child?
Banking placental and cord blood stem cells represents an investment in your child’s -- and your whole family’s -- future health. So far, stem cells have been used to treat patients with some 80 known diseases, including leukemia and immune system disorders and to date there have been over 8,000 cord blood units transplanted worldwide (1). Exciting research is under way to find future medical uses.
Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, heart disease, cartilage damage, diabetes, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and spinal cord injury are all being studied. So the stem cells you store today may have even greater potential tomorrow.
How is cord blood collected?
At the time of delivery, the expectant parents take a collection kit provided by the cord blood bank with them to the hospital. The hospital staff will perform the required steps to prepare for the collection of your baby’s cord blood (and collection of the placenta, if applicable). A blood sample is also taken from the mother at this time for testing – including infectious disease testing.
Once your baby is born and the umbilical cord has been cut, your health care provider will perform the cord blood collection. There are two methods of cord blood collection: gravity or syringe. However, the gravity bag method is the industry standard.
The gravity method is preferred because it is a completely closed system, which means less risk of contamination because processing is done without exposure to the environment.
The gravity method involves elevating the placenta so that gravity forces cord blood down through the umbilical cord and into the collection bag. For placenta-derived stem cells, the placenta is simply placed into a special bag in the delivery room and processed at the laboratory.
Once the collection process is complete, the health care provider will place the cord blood into the collection kit in preparation for transport to the cord blood bank.
Is the collection of umbilical cord blood and the placenta safe for my baby and me?
Absolutely. The collection process is safe and painless for both mother and baby as the umbilical cord has already been separated from the baby. The process is noninvasive, performed by your health care provider, and only takes about 5 minutes.
How is the collection kit transported to the processing center?
The arrangements for transporting your collection kit will vary based on the policies of the cord blood bank. In some instances, parents may have to arrange for transport, preferably through a professional medical courier.
Other facilities, including LifebankUSA, will send a courier to pick the kit up from your hospital bedside. For added peace-of-mind, LifebankUSA uses a courier which employs secure chain-of-custody handling practices.
How is cord blood processed and stored?
Again, this varies by facility. At LifebankUSA, once your collection kit is identified and assessed, the cord blood is taken to a laboratory where we extract the stem cells for storage. Additionally, LifebankUSA receives the intact placenta and separately processes it, significantly increasing the total number of stem cells collected.
The cord blood and the placenta are processed in two separate labs and are stored as two separate stem cell units.
LifebankUSA collects and processes your baby's stem cells in a completely closed system, an approach which ensures the most sterile conditions possible for the processing and storing of your baby's cord blood stem cells.
This means that the collection bag in which your baby's cord blood and placenta leaves the hospital is the same collection bag in which it will be processed. Through specialized equipment for use with our storage bags, we are able to transfer the cells into the cryogenic (freezing) bag via this closed system.
Are the potential uses of cord blood likely to increase?
Yes. The placental and cord blood stem cells that parents are banking today may become even more valuable in the future. Research is constantly underway to find new medical uses for stem cells, including treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, diabetes, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), spinal cord injuries, and cardiac repair.
Within decades, through the use of cord blood and placental stem cells, life-saving treatments for these conditions could become a reality.
If you’d like to learn more about banking your baby’s stem cells, please visit www.lifebankusa.com or call 1-877-LIFEBANKUSA (1-877-543-3226) to speak with a LifebankUSA Client Education Specialist.
Sources
1.The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Cord blood stem cell transplantation. Available at: http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/attachments/National/br_1128624081.pdf. Accessed February 23, 2007.
LifebankUSA is one of the largest cord blood banks in the world and is also the world's first bank to offer families the new option to collect and preserve stem cells derived from the placenta as well as the umbilical cord (Placenta•Cord™ banking) for hematopoietic reconstitution.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com