Stem cells collected and stored at birth can serve potential therapeutic use in future. Read about the advantages and disadvantages of umbilical cord blood banking.
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Author: Brijitha Chandran
Umbilical cord blood banking, an important novel medical innovation, refers to the collection and long-term storage of hematopoietic stem cells obtained from the umbilical cord blood of a newborn child. Hematopoietic stem cells or blood stem cells are the cells responsible for the creation of blood. In general, stem cells have the ability to replace other blood cells in the body that are abnormal or have been deteriorated due to disease or any other disorder. Stem cells collected and stored at birth can serve potential therapeutic use in future, not only for the child from whom it is collected but also for other family members and this is highly relevant in individuals of ethnic minority descent and those in marked ethnicities for whom the chances of finding a transplant is rare.
Recent studies have shown that apart from bone marrow, which was considered as the primary source of stem cells, blood from the umbilical cord of a newborn child is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells. These stem cells are considered to be more primitive than those in bone marrow and find greater applications and are also linked with regenerating the patient’s immune system. These cells are also more proliferative and possess a higher chance of matching members.
Umbilical cord blood is collected by a non-invasive and painless technique after detaching the umbilical cord from the newborn. The two methods in practice are the in-utero and ex-utero method, the ex-utero method being more commonly used. The in-utero method involves the collection of cord blood after the baby’s delivery but before the delivery of the placenta, whereas in the ex-utero method it is collected after the delivery of the placenta. Here immediately after the baby’s delivery the umbilical cord is clamped of from the newborn and a needle, attached to a collection bag pre-coated with anticoagulant, is inserted in the vein in the umbilical cord. The cord blood, measuring approximately 40 – 150 mL, is collected into the bag by gravity drainage. Once collected it is immediately transported to a cord blood banking facility where it is cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. In case of future requirements for therapeutic use, the preserved cord blood is thawed, washed off the cryopreservant and injected into the patient’s vein.
Cord blood can be stored at public and private cord blood banks. Public cord blood bank is for the general public while private banks cater exclusively to the donor or the donor’s relatives. Though cord blood banking is considered un-lawful and as not gained acceptance in many parts of the world, the medical community strongly supports public cord blood banking. Private banking is recommended only if there is a familial history of a specific genetic disorder. Similar to blood banks, cord blood banks also depend upon public donations.
Cord blood banking has it’s own advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages include:
- Cord blood can be used in the treatment of large number of disease including but not limited to leukemias, hemoglobinopathies and inborn errors of metabolism.
- Safe and harmless non-invasive procedure of collection when compared to bone marrow collection.
- Extension of donor pool – higher chances of matching than stem cells from bone marrow and also with lower incidence and severity of graft versus host reactions
- There is lower incidence of viral transmission.
The disadvantages include:
- Storage of cord blood is expensive when compared to the use of bone marrow transplant.
- There are chances of bacterial contamination during collection, unless sterile precautions are taken.
- Storage of cord blood is only for a limited period, approximately twenty years.
- In disease like leukemia, stem cell transplants are not proved to be more effective than chemotherapy.
Umbilical cord blood banking is an effective method for storing stem cells for the treatment of many human diseases. With more clinical trails and research being done, the list of possible uses of cord blood stem cells, once considered as medical waste, is increasing. Within a few decades the umbilical cord blood stem cells that parents are banking today will emerge as a form of ‘biological insurance’ and would prove as life-saving treatments for the various dreaded diseases of mankind.
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Comments:
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Very interesting article. The plus being the advantages and disadvantages given which one would find helpful before opting for stem cell storage. Language is simple yet clear enough for any person to understand.
Every parent should be encouraged to preserve their baby’s cord blood. It is the best gift we can give to our children. I recently saw a news segment where a stem cell bank in India, LifeCell International banked the stem cells of a baby and using these stem cells, the baby’s sister was cured of thalassemia. It felt great to see how technology can be a life saviour.
Cheers.
Hasmukh
Crystal clear overview has been provided.
Is it possible to get the cord blood from public bank easily? Pls suggest some public banks in India. May anyone can get his reqt from the public bank, whether or not he/she donated earlier?
No guarantee I guess with a public bank. If someone uses it before you then you won’t get it. Private bank- they won’t give it to anyone but you. It is a risk you take for the zero cost with public banks.
This is really one of the best blog and very likable at all.This is very useful for me and one of the very helpful blog.Thanks for making such a useful blog for us.Keep blogging..
Hi! This is very interesting one and I think before some where I got this answer, that why have a look..”Cord blood, or umbilical cord blood, is blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta at the time of birth. This blood has typically been discarded following delivery. But once scientists discovered it was a rich source of stem cells, umbilical cord blood became a viable substitute to bone marrow in thousands of successful transplants.”
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Thanks for making such a useful blog for us.