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Saving stem cells from cord
blood is becoming a popular option because unlike bone
marrow stem cell retrieval it is much easier to harvest
and less dangerous to the patient. In fact, the procedure
to collect cord blood from the baby at birth is painless
for the baby and won't interrupt the birth process.
Another advantage of stem
cells from cord blood is that there appears to be less
chance of rejection from the host once the cells are
introduced making it easier in the case of transplants and
other uses.
Add to that the fact that
banked cord blood is much more readily accessible than
searching for a bone marrow donor through the bone marrow
registries and you have an option that makes cord blood
seemingly preferable to bone marrow for use in
transplants.
Is cord blood preservation
and storage economically feasible though?
That remains to be seen.
Although the likelihood of one ever having to use the cord
blood is remote, the fact that you may have a bank account
with cord blood can provide many with a peace of mind
unmatched.
Having said that, the jury is
still out as to whether using the stem cell blood for your
own child is effective or not. For this reason, one should
consult a doctor well-versed in the knowledge of the
benefits and perils of stem cell transplantation prior to
using stored cord blood or even setting up a cord blood
bank account.
Using a cord blood bank to
store the cord blood for the future use of your child
could be important for families that have a history of
some cancers or genetic disorders. In this case having the
umbilical cord blood in storage is an option that could be
explored.
There are an increasing
number of cord blood banks that handle cord blood storage.
Usually there is an initial outlay that may run up to a
couple of thousand dollars followed by a yearly
maintanance fee.
Two of the most prominent
cord blood banks include the Cord Blood Registry and
Viacord. Stored cord blood from the Cord Blood Registry
has been responsible for more transplant blood than any
other cord blood bank to date. They, like their
counterparts, have recommendations from medical
professionals on their site.
A parent can also donate the
cord blood of their baby to be made available to others
via a public cord blood bank. One caveat here though is
that even though this is a noble option and one that could
very well prolong the lives of others in need there is
more red tape involved as the disease history of the
parents must be tested, analyzed and confirmed often
making it an expensive option.
In the end, is cord blood
donation a wise option? On the positive side you have the
improved health possibilities and potential future
technological advances that may come up with more valuable
uses of the stored cord blood. On the negative side you
have the cost to retrieve and store the cord blood and the
ambiguous scientific evidence as to its efficacy.
Choosing to store or donate
cord blood in a cord blood bank then should probably only
be done after consultation with a knowledgable physician
well-versed in the latest cord blood stem cell research.
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