Cord Blood Banking
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Related Keywords :
Umbilical Cord Blood Banking, Cord Blood Banks, Umbilical Cord Blood Banking Consequences, Cord Blood Donation, Umbilical Cord Blood Storage, Cord Blood Registry, Umbilical Cord Stem Cells, American Academy of Pediatrics Cord Blood, Cord Blood Banking Best, Public Cord Blood Banking
With the research currently under way regarding the use of stem cells, options for obtaining and storing this precious resource are being developed. There is only one opportunity to harvest a cord blood sample for cord blood banking and that is after the delivery of a newborn child. Once the umbilical cord and placenta have been discarded, the opportunity to collect a sample has passed. With the options for parents to donate their child's cord blood came questions regarding the use of an infant's cord blood for his or her own medical needs. The answer to these questions arose in the form of private cord blood banking.
Cord blood banking is just what the name implies. Banking a child's cord blood is the same as banking monetary funds. These funds are for one's own use. The same applies to cord blood. The blood is banked for the child's own use, either during his or her youth or adulthood (depending upon the continued viability of the sample). Stored blood can also be used for close relatives or eventually donated for use by an unrelated individual. Cord blood banking has become big business regulated by guidelines developed by professional organizations and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).
Cord blood has now been used in over 6,000 stem cell transplants. As a viable treatment for disease, cord blood has proven, time and time again, that it can save lives. Every parent wants his or her child's future to be disease free and productive. Until recently, there wasn't much a parent could do to prevent a catastrophic or life-threatening illness in their child's future. Even the prospect of doing so was something straight out of a science fiction movie.
With advances in cord blood storage, parents are now finding options for providing a kind of "biological insurance policy" for their children. Due to cord blood donation and the valuable stem cells it provides, even parents who have not, due to whatever reason, stored the cord blood of their newborn(s) can take advantage of this invaluable medical treatment. Cord blood can now be collected and stored indefinitely for future use for the child him/herself, a family member or even an individual who is not related but cannot find the exact match required for a bone marrow donation.
This genetically unique medical resource can provide treatment that is specific to the individual or treatment that can be used as an alternative to human bone marrow. Stem cells, with the adaptability to form red blood cells which are responsible for distributing oxygen to all other cells in the body, white blood cells capable of fighting infection, and platelets which have the job of facilitating clotting, are essential cellular building blocks worth discussing and researching further.
Parents make the decision to bank their newborn's umbilical cord blood while the child is in utero. Once the decision is made, the parents contract with one of the cord blood banks available. There are several considerations that parents need to factor into their decision. Perhaps the most important decision is which cord blood bank to choose.
Prices vary, and the old adage that you get what you pay for, may apply here. Cord blood banking is an important service. Entrusting a child's cord blood to the least expensive cord blood bank may not be the wisest choice. When deciding upon which cord blood bank to use, parents should first consider the location of the facility.
Proximity to the parent?s residence is not nearly as important as the stability of the facility. A facility that is financially stable (the company should not be in danger of folding), is located in a facility-owned building (a company should not be transient), and is geographically stable (not located near an earthquake, hurricane, or other natural disaster zone) should take preference over a facility that is not as stable. Cord blood banking is not cost prohibitive, but it is important to consider that the fees involved in cord blood banking will add up. Some individuals feel that, considering the remote chance that a child's cord blood will be required at a future date, the funds used for cord blood banking would be better used if invested toward the child's college education. Whatever decision the parents make, it is undoubtedly an important one.
Included in the decision making process should be the consideration of what procedures a cord blood bank uses to store the samples entrusted to them. The procedures for cord blood banking are now regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). A cord blood bank that is certified by the AABB has had its procedures evaluated and approved by that organization. The selected cord blood bank should adhere to FDA and AABB standards for the processing of cord blood and other blood products. The preferred method of processing cord blood for long-term storage involves what is known as density gradient separation. This method separates the red blood cells from the cord blood and prepares the sample to be used by someone other than a perfect biological match. In essence, if the cord blood is donated and not used by the child from who it was collected, the stem cells contained in the cord blood donation will be compatible for an individual or individuals other than the child or a close relative. This method is preferred by transplant physicians for the reason described above; this method prepares the sample for transplantation and minimizes the chance of rejection, GVHD (Graft Versus Host Diseast) or issues related to incompatible blood types.
Different types of cord blood banking facilities may provide different types of services. A cord blood banking facility may be publicly or privately owned. Privately owned facilities generally provide services to families who wish to store their child's umbilical cord blood for possible future use. These facilities charge a fee for their services. Publicly owned facilities may provide storage for families, but may also provide storage for donated cord blood. The methods of storage between the two types of cord blood banks are comparable. Fees may vary between the private cord blood banks. Generally, families may expect to pay up to $2000.00 for the original collection, delivery and processing of the cord blood sample, then an additional $150.00 or so per year for the next ten years for storage of their sample. The cost of this service may not be covered by a medical insurance plan because it may be considered experimental. Further information can be obtained from the insurance company itself regarding their cord blood policies.
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