Understanding stem cells and cord blood banking
Cord blood banking is the process of collecting the blood left in a new born baby's umbilical cord and placenta. The cord blood so collected contains the life saving stem cells that are then stored for future medical use. For the uninitiated, stem cells are the undifferentiated cell in human body capable of self-regeneration and producing more cells through differentiation.
Why stem cells from umbilical cord are more preferred?
Stem cells are found all over the human body and are concentrated more in the bone marrow. However, doctors recommend preserving stem cells from the umbilical cord given the following reasons:
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Stem cells so obtained from the umbilical cord are pristine. They aren't exposed to the pathogens and thus there is a low risk of any infectious disease getting transmitted.
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The process of collecting the stem cells from umbilical cord is quite simple and non-invasive that causes absolutely no harm to either the mother or baby.
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When preserved under the cryogenic conditions, these cells have no expiry date potentially and thus are safe to be used in a lifetime.
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During the transplants, stem cells from umbilical cord stand at a lower risk of rejection as they produce very less natural killer cells
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Umbilical cord stem cells are immature immunologically and therefore offer better matching competence than the stem cells obtained from other sources.
Stem Cell Banking: How the Process Works?
Banking your baby's stem cells is a decision that only you as a parent can take. In general the cord is discarded after the baby is born. But if you decide to preserve it, then you will have to get enrolled in a stem cell bank where it will be stored for your family's future medicinal use. Furthermore, you will even have to inform the hospital staff, taking care of the delivery, about preserving the cord.
The Process
As soon as the baby is born, whether vaginally or via caesarean, the medical staff clamps the cord and cuts it in the usual manner. The clamping of cord shouldn't be delayed for more than a minute or two as after that the blood present in the cord will clot and would be of no use.
A needle is then inserted by the doctor into the umbilical vein on the cord part which is still connected to the placenta. The blood then is collected in a bag. Generally, a minimum 40ml of the umbilical cord blood, 20cm of cord tissue, and 6ml of mother's blood is vital for a successful preservation. This whole process doesn't take more than 10 minutes. The collected blood is then shipped to your stem cell bank where it undergoes testing, processing and cryopreservation (preserving by controlled freezing).
What are the benefits of Stem Cell Banking?
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Stem cells help and reproduce blood. They even boost the immune system thereby strengthening the body when it gets gripped by a disease that can lower down the immune system.
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Your child's stem cells don't just benefit him or her for future medicinal use but can even be helpful for a sibling or any family member.
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The umbilical stem cells possess high rate of engraftment and are even more tolerant of the HLA mismatches as compared to the bone marrow transplants.
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These banked stem cells are readily available whenever the need be. Thus there never occurs a delay in the treatment.
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Cord stem cells rarely get contaminated with latent viruses.
Diseases Stem Cells Can Treat
As stated, stem cells preserved from the umbilical cord have the capability to treat several of the life threatening diseases. Some of which are:
Stem Cell Banking is no more an alien concept in India. Parents are adapting this new way of securing their child's future health. There are many private banks which help in storing the stem cells under a nominal fee. Also, there exist some public donor banks which help the parents willing to donate the cord stem cells for use by anyone who needs. If you also wish to safeguard your baby's health, look out for the stem cell banks and choose the one that fits your bill!