FAQ
Click on each question to see the answer below.
What is "cord blood" or "umbilical cord blood"?
"Cord Blood" or "Umbilical Cord Blood" is simply the blood that is taken from the large vein in the umbilical cords of newborn babies. Sometimes referred to as placenta blood as the umbilical cord attaches to the placenta, it is rich in non-controversial stem cells that can be used to treat and cure many diseases.
Could cord blood collection harm the mother or the child?
Absolutely not. Cord blood is collected after the baby is born and the umbilical cord has been cut from both mother and baby. The collection causes absolutely no harm to either the mother or the baby whatsoever.
Unfortunately, this rich life saving source of stem cells is most often discarded along with the cord and placenta
What are stem cells?
RStem cells are basically baby cells that have not yet decided what they want to be. They are the basic building blocks of life and of all body organs and tissues. Stem cells can be "totipotent cells" which means they have total potential and can become any type of cell and can have the capacity to form a new organism. Most cord blood cells have evolved form totipotent cells to become "pluripotent cells", because they have the potential to become many types of cells.
Why are some stem cell sources considered controversial?
Stem cells themselves are not controversial, but there is some controversy regarding the sources where they can be collected. Most sources of stem cells are not controversial, such as the cells from cord blood or from the bone marrow of a child or adult. The only stem cells which are considered controversial are the cells taken from human embryos. The reason embryonic stem cells are controversial is that the embryo is often destroyed when the cells are collected, ending any potential for that embryo to develop into a new life. The reason embryonic cells are so desirable for research is that they are almost all totipotent. Cord blood stem cells are considered mostly pluripotent and are now used primarily to develop blood and bone marrow systems, but we have only begun to see what they are capable of becoming. Cord blood can also develop into islet cells for the liver and pancreas, nerve cells, cardiac cells, and many more.
Why is it important to privately bank for your family?
- The first and maybe most important is that it is insurance for your family. Most treatments and trials being done these
days are done with related cord blood only (usually from the same child or a sibling).
- The survival rates for transplants are more than twice as good and the side effects are much less if you use genetically related cells, which will only be available if you bank for your family.
- Cord Blood units are very expensive to purchase, costing anywhere between $20,000 and $30,000 per unit (even more if you need to purchase one from a bank overseas) If you bank for your family, it is available to you anytime at no extra charge.
If you have any questions whatsoever, please email us and we will do our best to get an answer to you as quickly as possible.
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