The Importance of Cord Blood Banking

Expecting a baby? Whether this child is your first or an addition to your family, you want to do everything you can to provide for your newborn's well-being now and in the future.

Through cord blood banking, you can collect and preserve potentially lifesaving stem cells. And, doing so could one day save the life of your child or a close family member (blood relative). You can bank even more stem cells by collecting them from 2 usable sources of stem cell-rich blood: the umbilical cord and the placenta. This service is called Placenta-Cord banking, and it's available only from LifebankUSA®. Whether you choose Placenta-Cord banking or cord blood banking alone, there are many important reasons to choose LifebankUSA.

The lifesaving potential of stem cells

Physicians have treated more than 20,000 patients worldwide with cord blood stem cells through a process called hematopoietic reconstitution (the reformation of blood cellular components).¹ And that's just part of the story. Stem cells are also being studied in an emerging medical field called regenerative medicine.* This groundbreaking medical field involves repairing or replacing damaged tissues and organs and restoring their critical functions.*^2,3 Stem cells found in cord blood are being investigated for use in type 1 diabetes,⁴ spinal cord injury,⁵ Parkinson's disease,⁶ cerebral palsy,⁶ muscular dystrophy,⁷ stroke,^6,8 and many other diseases.

Cord blood and placenta-derived stem cells banked with LifebankUSA are indicated for hematopoietic reconstitution (the reformation of blood cellular components) for autologous use or use in first or second degree blood relatives. Any use of cord blood and placental stem cells other than for hematopoietic reconstitution is considered investigational, including regenerative medicine* therapies.

The chance that a child will use his/her own stored stem cells during his/her lifetime for currently treated conditions is estimated at 1 in 400 (J.J. Nietfeld). These odds may increase if there is a family history of certain blood disorders or cancers. The potential risks and benefits of stem cell transplantation vary and depend on many factors, such as the amount and quality of the stem cells collected, the HLA compatibility between recipient and donor, and the client’s overall health. Talk with your health care provider. For more information, call us at 1-877-LIFEBANKUSA (1-877-543-3226) or visit www.lifebankusa.com. View Product Information.

*These uses are not consistent with current labeling, are investigational and may never become standard therapy.

View Product Information

References:

Rocha V, Gluckman E; Eurocord-Netcord registry and European Blood and Marrow Transplant group. Improving outcomes of cord blood transplantation: HLA matching, cell dose and other graft-and-transplantation-related factors. Br J Haematol. 2009;147(2):262-274.
Mason C, Dunnill P. A brief definition of regenerative medicine. Regen Med. 2008;3(1):1-5.
US Department of Health and Human Services. 2020: a new vision-a future for regenerative medicine. http://www.hhs.gov/reference/newfuture.shtml. Accessed April 14, 2010.
Haller MJ, Viener H-L, Wasserfall C, Brusko T, Atkinson MA, Schatz DA. Autologous umbilical cord blood infusion for type 1 diabetes. Exp Hematol. 2008;36(6):710-715.
Dasari VR, Spomar DG, Li L, Gujrati M, Rao JS, Dinh DH. Umbilical cord blood stem cell mediated downregulation of Fas improves functional recovery of rats after spinal cord injury. Neurochem Res. 2008;33(1):134-149.
Harris DT. Cord blood stem cells: a review of potential neurological applications. Stem Cell Rev. 2008;4(4):269-274.
Jazedje T, Secco M, Vieira NM, et al. Stem cells from umbilical cord blood do have myogenic potential, with and without differentiation induction in vitro. J Transl Med. 2009;7:6.
Bliss T, Guzman R, Daadi M, Steinberg GK. Cell transplantation therapy for stroke. Stroke. 2007;38(suppl 2):817-826.
Nietfeld JJ, Pasquini MC, Logan BR, Verter F, Horowitz MM. Lifetime probabilities of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the U.S. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2008;14(3):316-322.