Cord blood storage is the preservation of newborn’s stem cells which allows you to have your baby’s cord blood saved for potential medical uses to treat life-threatening diseases. The cord blood storage could be the most important element in cord blood banking.
Technology allows umbilical cord blood collection every time a baby is born before keeping it in cord blood storage until it is needed. The cord blood contains life-giving cells that can be used to treat numerous diseases, and the list of what these stem cells can help with keeps growing as researchers discover new and more effective ways to use them.
Cord blood storage is crucial as it functions to keep the immature stem cells. The cord blood storage involves a process that is used to preserve cord blood for later use in case of stem cell transplant surgeries. This storage is preformed by stem cell banks.
Since the first cord blood stem cell transplant in 1988, there have been over 20,000 transplants. This increasingly popular technology makes the number of cord blood storage increase, as cord blood banks built in many countries. The cord blood kept in the storages id protected by the highest safety technology, so the quality of the blood is guaranteed when it is taken for transplantation purposes.
Nowadays, people awareness of the existence of cord blood storage is higher as they know the benefits. The cord blood could be used to treat a variety of other diseases, such as cancers, heart attacks, coronary artery disease, vascular disease, nerve and brain damage, strokes, and multiple sclerosis.
Cord blood storage involves removing the plasma and retaining the white blood cells that are essential in the transplantation. The storage is made by reducing the temperature of the blood cells to as low as –180 degrees, along with adding a cryoprotectant, a protective agent, to avoid any damage to the blood cells due to low temperature.
Before being kept in cord blood storage, the blood cells are tested to determine that it is safe to be used in transplantation. Some people have their own cord blood storage as there are some private umbilical cord blood banks that promote storage of cord blood for use within the family. In the future, it eases parents whose one of the children suffering from a blood related disease to use the cord blood of their other child.
However, although people try to book cord blood storage for private use within family, donation is suggested. Some advocates of public cord blood banks advise people to donate their cord blood rather than reserving it for private use.
In most cases, it is shown that the cord blood from cord blood storage can match people with the same ethnic background. To support this, public umbilical cord blood banks which request donation of cord blood for storage are built.
Later on, cord blood storage is promoted for the diverse ethnic groups, which can serve a better volume of public. However, the existence of public cord banks is not as popular as the private ones. It is because the public cord banks are not greatly advertised.
