What Is Cord Blood?
Cord blood also known as umbilical cord blood is basically blood that is in the placenta and umbilical cord after a baby is born. The reason for all the new interest in cord blood is because cord blood contains stem cells (10 times more in the placenta than in the umbilical cord) which can be used to treat or cure people with certain blood or genetic diseases. The line of thinking is that if your baby or family member ever develops any serious illness in the future then using their stem cells as treatment would be most effective since the body won't have the problem of rejection as it does with organ transplants.
Right now scientists are studying the possibilities of treating brain injury and type 1 diabetes with a child's own stem cells as treatment. Although nothing is conclusive, results do look promising. Again because the child is being treated with his or her own stem cells from their own cord blood the risk of rejection from their immune system is nil.
What is Cord Blood Banking?
Cord Blood Banking is the process of taking out the blood from the umbilical cord and then storing it at a cord blood bank. The blood is taken in the same manner that one takes blood from a blood donor. The technician puts a needle in a vein of the umbilical cord and lets the blood drip out into a bag. That bag is then cryopreserved (frozen) and stored at the blood bank to be used later on.
How Often is the Cord Blood Needed?
Right now the estimates are that a very small number of children will actually need to use their own stem cells collected from their own cord blood. The number is around 1:100,000.
Cord Blood Banks
Cord blood is currently stored in both private and public cord blood banks. With public blood cord banks the collected blood is taken and stored to be used on anyone who needs it. It is the same idea that we use when we give blood as adults. It is given for the collective good. With private cord blood banks the cord blood is stored to be used on the baby who donated it or on his or her relatives. Private banks charge a fee for this service.
What are the Cord Blood Banking Costs?
The price of private cord blood banking is around $1000-$2500 initially to collect the cord blood and then about $120 anually to preserve it.
What the Experts Say
Most everyone in the medical community, government and not for profit groups support the use of public cord blood banking. They say it is important to increase the cord blood stores available to the general population. As for private banks they say that the likelyhood of a person needing their own cells today is slim and so most privately stored cord blood just sits there for years helping nobody. But, they do admit that there is no telling what may happen as technology advances stem cell therapy and that having your own stored blood may give you more access to new treatments.