What Is Cord Blood Banking & Why Is It Important?

By Author: Rupert Cobain
Total Articles: 19
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The foremost thoughts during pregnancy revolve around the health safety of the mother and the baby. There is a way to safeguard your child's health against diseases or accidents in the future. Cord blood banking allows you to do so. It is the process of taking blood from the umbilical cord, extracting its stem cells, and storing them in the frozen state for medical use in future or research purposes.

The cord blood contains more stem cells than bone marrow and can develop into RBCs, WBCs, and blood platelets. That is why cord blood stem cells are effectively used in treating various diseases, including cancer and immune system disorders. This post will take you through everything you need to know about umbilical cord blood banking.

How It Works

Once you have decided to bank placental blood, the doctor collects the umbilical cord shortly after the delivery. The blood is then taken out from this cord piece and sealed in a heparin-free container to prevent damage to it. The entire process is simple, harmless, and takes very little time. A state-of-the-art lab performs tests and processing and cryopreserves ...
... the blood stem cells.

How Can It Be Used

Cord blood preserved through umbilical cord blood banking has found its usage in treating multiple diseases. The valuable hematopoietic stem cells can regenerate new blood tissues and immune system cells. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, cord blood can treat more than 80 high-risk diseases, such as leukemia, lymphoma, immunodeficiency, inherited metabolic disorders, anemia, and bone repair. Research is being done to explore its efficacy in treating conditions like cerebral palsy, autism, and Alzheimer's.

How Much It Costs

The cost of availing of a cord blood banking facility depends on the bank you are approaching. While the service is free at public blood banks, you might have to pay an upfront fee of around $1,000–$3,000 plus a yearly maintenance fee of $100-$200. These fees include a blood collection kit, sample processing, and shipping service.

Where To Bank

There are primarily three places to store cord blood – public, private, and direct. Cord blood donated to public banks may be used for public use. Private banks restrict access to the stored blood to the donor and their relatives. Direct or hybrid banks take the freedom to release the cord blood for public or private use.

Advantages

• More accessible and readily available

• Less risk of post-transplant engraft rejection

• Strengthen the immune system

• Harmless to mother and child

• High chance of the match with biological family members

If you are awaiting your newborn’s arrival and wish to give them a healthy life, considering umbilical cord blood banking would be a smart choice.

HealthBanks provides stem and immune cells banking, cord blood banking, and umbilical cord tissue banking services (Healthbanks.us/Umbilical-Cord-Blood-Banking). These cells can be used to treat many diseases including metabolic disorders, blood related issues, and used in immunotherapies to treat cancer. To know more, visit https://healthbanks.us/company/.