Cord Blood Stem Cell Banking
Cord blood is the blood that is found in the umbilical cord that attaches the developing fetus to the mother?s body. This blood is rich in stem cells and some families are deciding to save the blood for medical use later either for their own family or for public and research use.
Stem cells are the basic building blocks of the body. In simple terms they are flexible, they haven?t yet decided what they will become. In the development process the same stem cell can become a heart cell, a brain cell, a kidney cell, a liver cell or any other cell in the entire body. It is a blank page capable of being imprinted with the instructions for any body cell.
Stem cells exist in the body of children and adults in their blood and in their bone marrow. But scientists are most interested in cord blood stem cells because they are more flexible that the other sources. The cord blood stem cell is more likely to be adaptable to the many other cells in the body.
Unlike embryonic stem cells, the collection of cord blood does not involve the process of aborting the pregnancy. Cord blood is not collected until the umbilical cord has been cut from the newly born infant. Because of this, it is a far less controversial procedure.
During the birth process, the child is delivered from the mother?s body. The child is attached to an umbilical cord and through that to the placenta. The doctor placed two clamps on the umbilical cord near the child?s body. The father usually has the ceremonial job of cutting the cord. If the family decided not to collect the cord blood, the cord and the placenta are simply discarded with the other waste material from the birth.
If the family decides to collect the cord blood and have it stored in a cord blood bank, they can rest assured that the process in no way harms the child. The collection is not done until the cord is cut away from the child. However it is important that the decision to collect the cord blood for banking is made in advance. The doctor and the medical team have to be aware of the decision so that they can prepare for the collection.
The collection process will include a kit that will be supplied by the cord blood bank. The doctor will place the cord blood in the kit and secure it for transport to the cord blood bank.
Some parents decide to use a family or private cord blood bank. This means that the blood will be stored for the exclusive use of that family. The cost to maintain this storage for years to come can be costly. But the consideration that the cord blood holds the best genetic options for treatment for not only the child, but for other family members and for future generations, convinces many families that it is worth it.
Others opt to donate the cord blood to a public cord blood bank. Here the cord blood stem cells are available to patients who need it for treatment of various diseases and for research. Those who choose public cord blood banking should know that they will likely not have access to their cord blood should they need it in the future. They will be taking the chance that they can find an appropriate genetic match if the need arises. Because of this, families with a history of health problems often choose the private cord blood banking option.
frank j vanderlugt owns and operates http://www.stem-cells-2007.com Stem Cells