Cord blood banks are the option which every parent should likely try to do. Parents can donate their baby’s umbilical cord blood in public cord blood banks for free. It is known that umbilical cord blood stem cells can be used in transplants to treat a variety of pediatric disorders including leukemia, sickle cell disease, and metabolic disorders.
Cord blood banks are a facility which stores umbilical cord blood for future use. Both private and public cord blood banks have developed since the mid- to late-1990s in response to the potential for cord blood transplants in treating diseases of the blood and immune systems.
Public cord blood banks are different from private cord blood banks. Public cord blood banking accepts donations to be used for anyone in need and is supported by the medical community. However, there are very strict regulations which public banks need to follow to enable the donated units to be added to a registry.
Generally, an expectant mother interested in donation should contact the public cord blood banks before the 34th week of pregnancy. Once the blood is donated, all identifying information after a short period of initial testing are lost. Families are not able to retrieve their own blood after it has been donated.
Meanwhile, private cord blood banks store cord blood with a link to the identity of the donor, so that the family may retrieve it later if it is needed. The parents have custody of the cord blood until the child is an adult. The cord blood might someday be needed by the donor baby, or it could be used by a relative who is a close enough match to receive a transplant from the donor (typically a sibling).
With more benefits you can take form private cord blood banks, the banks usually charge a fee to preserve the harvested cord blood for family biological insurance. Related to the case, private banks have been criticized for aggressive and misleading marketing campaigns to expectant parents.
Overall, both public and private cord blood banks are eligible for voluntary accreditation with either the American Association of Blood Banks AABB or the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy FACT. Potential clients can check the current accreditation status of banks from the AABB list of accredited cord blood banks or the FACT search engine of accredited cord blood banks. Other countries also have regulations pertaining to cord blood.
Cord blood banks are the best option for peace of mind, knowing that these stem cells can be lifesaving to your baby and other family members. Your baby’s cord blood stem cells may be used by your family to treat nearly 80 serious diseases, including leukemia, other cancers, and blood disorders. Moreover, cord blood stem cells are showing significant potential to treat conditions that have no cure today – like juvenile diabetes and brain injury.
By saving the different types of genetically unique stem cells from your baby’s cord blood and cord tissue in cord blood banks, you secure the greatest level of protection and peace of mind knowing that, if needed, the cells you have can be a powerful resource for your family’s future health.
