Category Archives: Cord Blood

The Benefits of Storing Cord Blood with a Bank Company

Advantages of Using a Bank Company

The most obvious advantage of using cord blood bank companies is the assurance that your baby’s cord blood will be properly taken care of. With banks, you don’t need to worry about storing it yourself or ensuring its safety; they have specialized equipment and trained staff that can take care of this for you. Additionally, banks are able to store multiple samples from different babies in case more than one needs to be used at once. This makes them much more reliable than other storage options.

Banks also offer many services that other storage options do not. For example, they often provide insurance policies on your stored sample so that if anything happens to it, you are still covered financially. Furthermore, some banks offer genetic testing services on your baby’s sample so you can identify any potential medical conditions or risks early on and take preventive measures accordingly. This gives parents peace of mind knowing that their little one is safe and well taken care of even before birth!

Finally, banks are highly regulated by the government and must adhere to strict standards when it comes to storing and handling cord blood samples. This ensures that all samples are safe from contamination or mishandling while being stored in the bank’s facilities.

Conclusion: All in all, using the cord blood bank companies offers many advantages over other storage methods such as convenience, reliability, additional services like insurance policies and genetic testing, as well as safety regulations guaranteeing your baby’s sample is handled properly while it is stored in their facilities. So if you’re considering storing your baby’s cord blood for future use consider looking into a reliable bank company today!

The Importance of a Safe Cord Blood Bank

1. FDA-Approval

The first thing you should look for is whether or not the best cord blood banks have FDA-approval. This means that the bank has met the strict guidelines set by the Food and Drug Administration in order to ensure the safety of its products.

2. AABB-Accreditation

Another thing to look for is whether or not the best cord blood banks are AABB-accredited. The AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks) is a nonprofit organization that sets standards for blood banks and transfusion services. In order to be accredited, a cord blood bank must meet certain standards for quality and safety.

3. Licensed by the State

Finally, you should make sure that the best cord blood banks you are considering are licensed by the state in which it operates. Each state has its own set of regulations that cord blood banks must follow in order to ensure the safety of their products.

Conclusion:

When it comes time to choose the best cord blood banks, it is important to do your research in order to find one that is safe and reliable. Make sure to look for a bank that has FDA-approval, AABB-accreditation, and is licensed by the state. By taking these precautions, you can be sure that your child’s cord blood will be well taken care of.

What Are Stem Cells? Adult, Fetal & Cord Blood Stem Cells

Stem cells have gathered the attention of researchers around the world. Many scientists believe in the potential of stem cells in treating diseases previously considered incurable. Some of these diseases include paralysis and Alzheimer’s diseases.

The cells are considered regenerative medicine, which means they can repair, regrow or replace damaged or diseased cells. Hence, many people are opting to store these cells with stem cells banks.

Most cells in our body have a specific function. However, stem cells are undifferentiated, which means they can become any cells when required.

If the lifesaving stem cells have piqued your interest, this article could help you find a few answers about them. Let us discuss stem cells and their various types in detail.

Stem cells

Stem cells are special cells that can develop into different cell types under the right conditions in the body or a laboratory. Stem cells are the raw material for our body. They are the foundation of various organs and tissues.

Some cells only exist in the early stages of fetal development, and others may remain in the body throughout life. Hence, there are different types of stem cells.

The different types of Stem cells have a few common properties:

1. Self-renewal – stem cells have a unique property that enables them to make copies of themselves. Hence, the stem cells in your body can generate more stem cells with their self-renewal property.

2. Differentiation- stem cells can also develop into specialized cells like blood cells, bone cells, brain cells, or heart muscle cells.

Types of stem cells

Based on the source of their origin, stem cells can be differentiated into the following types.

1. Embryonic stem cells

Embryonic or fetal stem cells are cells from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst. A blastocyst is formed in three to five days after the egg is fertilized by a sperm. It contains about 150 -200 cells.

These cells are pluripotent, which means they can generate more stem cells or form any type of cells in the fully formed body. As the cells are obtained from human embryos, many people do not find it ethical to use embryonic stem cells in the treatment.

2. Adult stem cells

Adult stem cells, also called somatic cells, are found in limited numbers in adult tissues. These cells remain undifferentiated or non-specified until called upon by the body. The tissues and organs in the body, like the gut, skin, etc., contain small reservoirs of these cells. Stem cells help in replacing diseased cells due to injury or day-to-day working.

Adult cells are more specialized in comparison to tissue-specific stem cells. These cells can generate different cells for the specific organ in which they originated.

For example, stem cells in the bone marrow can form different types of blood cells like red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. However, they cannot generate other cells like brain cells.

For a long time, scientists believed that adult cells can only be converted into a specific type of cells. However, recent studies have shown that adult cells can be transformed into other cell types by reprogramming them in a laboratory. Such cells are called Induced pluripotent cells and act similar to embryonic stem cells.

3. Cord Blood Stem Cells

The blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after childbirth is a rich source of stem cells. Due to lack of awareness, these cells were discarded as medical waste for a long time. However, they can help in the treatment of various diseases.

These cells are collected, processed, and cryogenically preserved for future transfusion. You can store the cord blood stem cells of your child with a private stem cells bank.

The bank preserves the stem cells and makes them available for medical emergencies. With an affordable cord blood bank at $19.99/month, banking the stem cells of your child is possible with manageable periodic payments.

Now that you are aware of stem cells and their various types, you can contact a stem cells bank to store the stem cells of your child.

Cord Blood and Its Uses

Cord blood is the blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord post-delivery. This blood is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells. Traditionally, people were unaware of the many benefits of these life-saving stem cells. Hence, it was discarded as medical waste.

However, in recent years cord blood and tissue banking have gathered immense popularity. New parents are encountering a critical decision of whether or not they should store their child’s stem cells.

Before you chose to opt for cord blood and tissue banking, it is essential to understand the process and the numerous uses of cord blood.

Cord blood has numerous benefits and can be used in case of future medical emergencies. Let us discuss these benefits in detail.

What are cord blood and tissue banking?

Cord blood and tissue banking refer to the process of collecting, processing, and cryogenically preserving the cord blood and tissues of your child. The process is very convenient and does not cause any interference with the delivery process. It is a non-invasive and painless procedure that allows you to ensure the future health and wellbeing of your baby.

What are the uses of cord blood banking?

1.  It can treat numerous diseases.

At present, cord blood can help in the treatment of eighty rare diseases. A stem cell transfusion can aid in treating blood disorders, metabolic diseases, sickle cell anemia, immune deficiencies, and many types of cancer.

Storing the stem cells of your child with a private cod blood bank ensures their accessibility whenever required. Hence, cord blood and tissue banking act as a gift of life for your little one.

2.  It has regenerative properties.

Cord blood is rich in hematopoietic stem cells that can morph into cells of any type. Hence, stem cells have regenerative properties. The stem cell transfusion can provide your body with healthy cells required for faster recovery.

3.  It has immense future potential.

Many researchers believe that stem cells have the potential to treat numerous incurable diseases. All over the world, scientists are conducting clinical trials to understand the vast medical advancement that stem cells can create.

The stem can be a possible cure for diseases like cerebral palsy and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Studies are also getting conducted to understand the benefit of stem cells in the treatment of autism.

4.  It can be used by other siblings and family members.

Your Childs’s stem cell can help him fight against future medical emergencies. Hence, if you have a family history of rare diseases like cancer, leukemia, sickle cell anemia, etc., it is advisable to store your child’s cord blood. This is also recommended when one of the parents is adopted, or you are unsure about your medical history.

Stem cells can also be helpful in the case of a sibling or other family members. If you have a sick child that can benefit from the transfusion, it is quintessential to store your child’s stem cells. Family members with a rare disease can also be a potential match and use your newborn’s stem cells.

5.  It can be a gift of life for someone else.

You can store the stem cells exclusively for your family with a private bank. However, this requires a large investment in the form of registration charges and monthly fees.

Many parents today are choosing to donate their child’s umbilical cord blood to public banks. It can save a potential match’s life. The cord blood in public banks can also help in research and contribute to medical advancements.

Hence, there are numerous uses of cord blood and tissue banking and can help save lives. These benefits necessitate that you chose to preserve your child’s stem cells either with a public or a private cord blood bank.

Cord Blood Banking Costs – What Are The Fees For Banking Cord Blood

Making decisions and taking responsibility is something you need to get accustomed to as soon as you decide to become parents. In recent years, there has been an addition to the long list of choices you need to make for your baby.

The question is: Whether you should or should not bank the stem cells of your child at the time of delivery. And if yes, how it will affect your finances?

Stem cell banking is seen as biological insurance that can help your child in case of future medical emergencies. However, the cost of banking stem cells is a huge investment if you decide to choose a private bank.

Hence, you need to account for these Cord Blood Banking Prices both at the time of delivery and as an addition to your monthly expenses. Let us discuss the cost of banking the stem cell of your child in detail.

What is the cost of saving your child’s cord blood with a private bank?

When you decide to choose a private cord blood bank for your child’s stem cells, the bank will take care of everything including collection, processing, and cryogenically preserving the stem cells. Also, you can be assured that the stem cells of your child will be available for transfusion as and when needed by your family.

The cost of banking your child’s stem cells is a big investment. You need to pay an upfront cost at the time of registration, followed by annual fees.

The upfront cost also called the registration fee varies from $1300 to $2300. It covers the cost of collecting, testing, and registering with the bank.

Apart from this, you need to pay annual fees for storing your stem cells with the stem cell bank. The charges vary from $95 to $130.

What is the cost of saving your child’s cord blood with a public cord blood bank?

If you chose a public cord blood bank for your child’s cord blood, you do not have to pay anything to the bank for collection, processing, testing, or storing the blood cells. The donations to public cord blood banks are collected free of cost.

The public bank will arrange for the collection of cord blood post-delivery. Some banks also accept mail-in donations. However, with public banks, there is no guarantee that you will get your stem cells back in the future if your child needs them.

Why are private cord blood banks so expensive?

Storing the stem cells of your baby is a costly process in itself. The banks are mandatorily required by law to test the blood of the mother for infectious diseases.

Also, the blood needs to be processed to extract stem cells from cord blood. The blood is then tested for CD34 marker and the number of nucleated cells. The sample is also examined to rule out the possibility of bacteria or fungal growth. After that, the cells are frozen with a cryoprotectant.

This extensive process costs hundreds of dollars at its various stages. Also, the private banks have to add a percentage of profit to remain viable.

The process is similar for public banks and is equally expensive. However, you do not have to pay any charges to the public cord blood bank.

Is there any financial assistance or insurance cover for the cost of banking your stem cells?

Usually, insurance companies do not reimburse for any cost associated with banking your child’s stem cells.

However, if you have another kid suffering from a disease where stem cell transfusion can be helpful, you can get some financial assistance from the private cord blood bank.

It depends on the bank’s policy, and you need to have a prior discussion with the bank regarding their schemes.

When it comes to your child’s stem cell, you have three options: a private stem cell bank, a public stem cell bank, or not to store your child’s stem cells. If you do not preserve the cord blood with a bank, it will be disposed of as medical waste.

Hence, we strongly recommend getting your child’s stem cell stored with either a private bank for your family or with a public bank as a gift of life for someone else.

Types of Cord Blood Banks – Understand the Difference to Select the Right Bank

Preparing to welcome your newborn into your house involves making numerous decisions. Some of these decisions are more crucial than others and can affect the life and health of your child in future years. One such decision involves choosing the right cord blood bank for your kid.

After you have decided to preserve the cord blood of your child, you need to make another decision. Do you want to store it in a private cord blood bank or a public cord blood bank?

To make the right choice, you must understand the difference between these two banks and their advantages and disadvantages. Let us discuss this in more detail.

Private cord blood bank.

Private cord blood banks are the banks where you can store your child’s cord blood upon the payment of certain charges. The cost of storage includes a one-time payment and monthly fees to the cord blood bank.

The blood is owned by you and your family and can be used in case of any future emergencies. You can use the stem cells for your child, their siblings, or any other family member. The company is solely responsible for storing the cord blood and making it available on demand.

Storing your child’s cord blood in a private bank is advisable if you have a family history of the disease, which puts your baby at genetic risk. You can also store the stem cells if your family member is suffering from an ailment and can benefit from a stem cell transfusion.

Also, parents can store the blood cells as a precautionary measure to treat any future diseases. However, it is crucial to note that even the experts can’t foretell the viability of your stem cells after twenty years of their storage. Also, cord blood banking involves huge investment, and the chances of using these stem cells are remote.

The usability of stem cells for future ailments depends on their proper storage. Hence, it is important to choose a competent private cord blood bank after thorough research.

Public cord blood bank

In the case of a private cord blood bank, you donate your baby’s cord blood to the bank, and it becomes their property post-donation. Cord blood with enough stem cells for medical usage is tested and given to a person who is a genetic match.

Cord blood can aid in medical treatments and can treat many diseases. Hence, people are encouraged to donate their child’s cord blood to a public bank, where it can save lives.

If the stem cells in the cord blood are not enough for medical use, the blood is given for research. The research aids in medical advancements, which helps numerous people in the future.

Donation from People with mixed ethnicities is crucial as such donations are rare and can save someone’s life.

Donating your child’s cord blood is free, and the bank pays for the collection and storage of stem cells. If your hospital has partnered with a public bank, you can donate to such a bank, or else, you will need to find a public bank in your area.

Post-donation, the cord blood becomes the property of the public cord blood bank and cannot be used for your child’s future needs.

All decisions regarding the usage of cord blood are taken by the cord blood banking company. You will not be able to determine what happens to your child’s cord blood.

There are numerous cord blood bank companies in the market that make the choice even more difficult. Now that you know the difference between private and public cord blood banks, you can make an informed decision about your child’s future.

Once you have chosen the type of bank, it is essential to do some research to ensure that the bank is competent to store your cord blood and make it available for future treatment.

Differences Between Cord Blood Storage and DNA

Before diving into details of the main differences between cord blood storage and DNA, you may be excited to know about relation between these two. Well, DNA mainly gets extracted from umbilical cord blood. DNA is helpful in finding out the actual identity of newly-born children. To get a DNA sample, practitioners need cord blood.

Many women especially those who are pregnant and soon become proud mothers consider storing the umbilical cord of their newly born baby. The reason why they consider cord blood storage is that it includes stem cells that have vast potential to metamorphose into other cells of the human body. It is capable of treatment of various life-threatening diseases that your kids develop be it leukemia, cancer, anemia, or others.

Process of Cord Blood Storage

If we talk about the process of extracting cord blood, it involves collecting blood safely and painlessly without posing any kind of risk to newborns and mothers. It neither interferes in your baby’s birth plan nor the birth experience. Once mothers get admitted to the delivery room, they need to provide a sample for a blood test to know any infection.

After the birth of the baby, the umbilical cord is then cut and separated from the baby and then the collection process of blood gets started before delivery of the placenta. The collection process goes on and takes only a couple of minutes to complete. Let’s explore here different steps of the process related to cord blood storage. After delivery of the baby, the umbilical cord is cut and then separated from the baby.

Once the umbilical cord is clamped, then the process of extracting cord blood gets started and it takes place till the placenta is delivered. The entire process takes only a few seconds. After collection, the evaluation process gets started to check cell counts, volume, etc. To remove the plasma and red blood cells from cord blood cells, it is then processed with the use of an automated machine. After the process, the final product gets concentrated with stem, cells, and white blood.

Process of DNA Storage

Families who store their cord blood stem cells with the blood bank shop also get an option for preserving the newborn DNA that one can find in various umbilical cord cells that help them in conducting genomic testing in the future. The service of DNA storage is completely different from cord blood storage. The DNA bank ensures sample storage with maximum security measures and one can release it once the physician authorizes it for testing.

Storage of DNA is more beneficial when compared to cord blood banking due to numerous reasons. First and foremost, its sample harvesting process is highly convenient. The sample gets collected through a cheek swab that is highly convenient while comparing it with the collection of cord blood quickly after the delivery of the baby.

Apart from this, the other major difference is that it comes with the lowest preservation cost. You will certainly not find any difficulty in finding the DNA banks that serve clients at the lowest cost. The biggest advantage of stored DNA is that it is useful when it comes to curing age-related or genetic diseases.

Aside from getting genetic information, it is also helpful in identifying and curing illness predispositions and also those diseases that can develop in the future. Once you get early information regarding diseases, it helps you get effective treatment with better outcomes. Therefore, it lets you avoid complications that occur due to some life-threatening diseases.

It prompts parents to store the DNA of their newly born babies to prevent them from future diseases. It helps them in improving the health of their children and ensures them a healthy life. Cord blood brings the possibility to cure approximately 70 different types of diseases. Stem cells come with the capability of transforming virtually any other cell in the human body. No matter what kinds of genetic disorders you are suffering from, you can use cord blood stem cell for a better cure and get the finest result.

Why Do People Bank Cord Blood?

As a field, medication keeps on being extraordinarily reformed by consistent headways in both treatment and innovation. What is fit for being done today, hundreds of years back would have been practically inconceivable. Banking string blood is the generally late method where guardians reap blood from the umbilical cord, which is wealthy in foundational microorganisms, of their infants to treat genuine ailments and infections utilizing undifferentiated cell treatment possibly.

Cord Blood Stem Cells – Why?

Even though bone marrow transfers have been effective in various infections, the uncommon accessibility of undifferentiated organisms leaves patients longing for the cells for a delayed timeframe. One of the significant reasons why guardians, today settle on string blood protection, is that if the need emerges, the patient doesn’t need to hang tight for a coordinating giver. This is all the more valid for the patients who have a place with an ethnic minority gathering. With endorsements allowed by the FDA twenty years back, the cord platelet industry blasts with immense advancements of public and private banks. Families, who have not put away their own infants’ immature microorganisms in a private cord blood donation center, actually are probably going to discover a hereditarily coordinated undeveloped cell test from a public cord blood donation center. Research has also demonstrated that umbilical cord undifferentiated organisms are more flexible contrasted with the ones removed from bone marrow.

Cord blood microorganisms can be utilized to treat infections and conditions, such as leukemia, myelodysplastic disorder, pallor, sickle cell illness, acquired red cell anomaly, lymphoma, and plasma cell issue, neuroblastoma, and myeloma. Today, more than 75 unique sicknesses, invulnerable inadequacies, and different conditions are treated with cord blood effectively. With the headway of undifferentiated cell research, there will probably be more uses for cord blood later on. The best cord blood banks cycle can be unreasonable for a private storeroom, yet its security far exceeds the expenses. Likewise, numerous families find an ideal method to ensure the youngster just as other relatives from conceivably lethal sicknesses or conditions. The progressing undifferentiated organism research for the treatment of illnesses is promising. Cord blood foundational microorganisms offer the extraordinary potential for treating more auto-resistant and degenerative diseases. Best cord blood banks can give clinical protection to your kid or other relatives now and later on.

Cord Banks – Public or Private?

Guardians have the alternative of banking cord blood openly or secretly. On the off chance that they choose to give to a public office, there are no capacity expenses anyway on account of security concerns all ID highlights are eliminated from that specific stockpiling part inside a couple of years. In this way, should a family require immature microorganism treatment for their kid, there is no assurance their blood test would be made accessible to them. Grown-ups would need to utilize a non-related example. The best cord blood banks has string blood units that a bank has delivered for relocation says a lot about their accomplishment in conveying practical immature microorganisms when it makes a difference. While most family banks have just delivered two or three hundred units for relocation or less, a few banks have delivered more than 1,000 string blood transfers.

Cord Blood Stem Cells

So what job does umbilical cord blood play with regards to undifferentiated organisms? It is a rich store of blood undifferentiated organisms that can separate to make red and white platelets and platelets, which are significant in treating hereditary sicknesses, malignancies, and blood and invulnerable framework issues.

Contrasted with bone marrow immature microorganisms, cord blood undifferentiated organisms are simpler to collect since they are virtually realistic from the placenta after conveyance thus don’t include surgery. They can be placed in a cord blood donation center and almost ready for use either for the giver or another beneficiary paying little heed to the relationship. Cord blood has just demonstrated fruitful in treating leukemia, paleness, neuroblastoma, lymphoma, and numerous other blood and safe framework infections, malignancies, and problems.