Why does Placenta•Cord banking offer so much potential? As soon as your baby is born, you have an opportunity to help prepare and protect your family for the future. That’s because your baby’s placenta and umbilical cord blood are valuable sources of stem cells-and banking from both sources lets you store more cells than cord blood banking alone.
Stem cells are the building blocks of blood and the immune system, as well as all tissues in the body. These stem cells can replenish themselves and transform into other cell types including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. This enables them to replace other cells in the body that are abnormal, weakened, or destroyed by disease. So the more cells you store, the greater potential benefit you’re giving your family for future therapeutic use.
Cord blood stem cell transplants have been successfully performed in more than 8,000 patients with some 80 known diseases, including leukemia and immune system disorders.1 Once collected from the placenta and umbilical cord and stored, stem cells provide your baby with an exact match for a potential stem cell transplant for years to come. An exact match increases the likelihood of a successful transplant if ever needed.
There is also a stronger chance of a suitable match for other family members when using your own baby’s stored stem cells from the placenta and umbilical cord blood versus those from a public registry, and using a stem cell (cord blood) unit from a relative increases the chances of a successful transplant.2 By collecting from both the placenta and the umbilical cord, you can collect more stem cells-which can enhance engraftment after transplant.
CLICK HERE to learn more about the basics of placental and cord blood stem cells.»
Reasons to Bank Your Baby’s Cord BloodWhy are so many parents-to-be choosing to bank their babies‘ cord blood? There are as many reasons as there are people banking... View More> |
Stem Cell Current UsesOne of the main applications of stem cells is to replace bone marrow cells that have been damaged by radiation or chemotherapy, and restore the recipient’s bone marrow function... View More> |
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Potential TreatmentsIn the future, stem cells may be able to treat and possibly cure diseases for which there is no adequate therapy today. Research is being conducted to expand future applications of stem cells… View More> |
Research and Vision for the FutureWhat sets LifebankUSA apart from other umbilical cord blood companies is our active involvement in research, and our commitment to furthering the science of stem cells... View More> |
The chance that a child will use his/her own stored cord blood stem cells during his/her lifetime is estimated at 1 in 400 (J.J. Nietfeld and F. Verter). 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 cord blood stem cells collected, the HLA compatibility between recipient and donor, and the client’s overall health.
Cord blood and placental stem cells are intended for use in a first- or second-degree blood relative. Placenta-derived stem cell infusions are performed to provide hematopoietic progenitor cells for hematopoietic reconstitution.
References: 1. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Cord blood stem cell transplantation. Available at: http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/attachments/National/br_1125624081.pdf. Accessed February 16, 2007. 2. Gluckman E, Rocha V, Boyer-Chammard A, et al. Outcomes of cord-blood transplantation from related and unrelated donors. N Engl J Med. 1997;337:373-381.
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