Cord blood banking – how your baby’s cells are extracted and stored

Today, there is no dearth of information on cord blood banking, its benefits and its potential uses in treating illnesses. While the big picture is clear, parents need to know exactly how cord blood stem cells are extracted and stored. And what are the health implications if any. Firstly, cord blood extraction is ‘non-invasive’. It means that neither the mother’s nor the baby’s body is harmed in any way. Cord blood is extracted from the umbilical cord just after the baby is born. Earlier, both the umbilical cord and placenta where thrown away as medical waste. However post the discovery of hematopoietic stem cells in cord blood (1970s), doctors have encouraged the collection and storage of the umbilical cord.

So what happens in the labor room?
Whether it’s a vaginal birth (what we call a ‘normal’ delivery) or a Caesarean, cord blood extraction can be done easily and painlessly. After the baby has been delivered, the doctor clamps the umbilical cord on both sides, cuts it and then unclamps one side to allow a small tube to pass into the umbilical vein to collect the blood. This is done just before the placenta comes out. Once the placenta is out, needles are placed on either side of its surface to collect the blood and cells. Collection is done using the specific kit of the chosen stem cell bank. All this is done after the baby is safely out and the mother is more or less finished with the labor process.

The cord blood is then placed into the collection kit, couriered to the stem cell bank and on arrival, given an identification number. Stem cells are then extracted from the sample and stored cryogenically (frozen in liquid nitrogen). These stored stem cells can technically last forever. When they are needed, the cells are thawed, expanded and delivered for use.

It is important to decide on cord blood banking while the middle to late stages of pregnancy, as you will have to receive your collection kit and inform your doctor. After all, those precious moments after birth provide the only window of opportunity to collect cord blood stem cells.

Post Comment

Cord blood banking – the way to go!

Is stem cell therapy really the medical miracle we’re all hoping for? Or is it just hype? Are private players confusing the consumer about its applications and the stages of clinical trials? A comprehensive answer to all of the above is the findings that were shared at the 5th ITERA Life-Sciences Consortium Symposium, Maastricht, Netherlands.

The symposium brought researchers from all parts of the globe and the verdict was unanimous – umbilical cord blood stem cells are the way forward in stem cell transplants, regenerative medicine and research. 

Leading the charge for cord blood cells was Prof.Gluckman, the first doctor to use a cord blood stem cell transplant to cure a child with Fanconi’s Anemia. That was 1988. Prof Gluckman showed that since then, nearly 22%of all stem cell transplants used cord blood cells as opposed to bone marrow cells. The number of transplants has touched over 25000. And, these were mainly used to treat acute Leukemia and other blood related disorders. 

The icing on the ITERA Symposium cake was the promise shown in regenerative medicine. This is the area that stem cells are supposed to revolutionize. And the Symposium showcased hard facts that prove that stem cells therapy for serious conditions is not science fiction, but reality that’s waiting around the corner.

Studies on different therapies to address spinal injury, organ repair and regeneration including heart, liver, kidney and bladder, are in the pre-clinical and clinical trial stages. For instance, a Swiss team will soon get into trials for therapy that will help premature infants suffering from prenatal brain injury.

So if you’re in a position to store your child’s umbilical cord blood stem cells, you shouldn’t be looking at the ‘why’ anymore, but go on to the ‘who’ and ‘where’!

Post Comment

Blood Donation – a thing of the past?

In 2005, a French research team at the Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris, headed by Luc Douay, published results on blood created out of stem cells. Today, Douay is on the verge of human clinical trials of the same, have refined the technique in the intervening 6 years.

Not to be outdone by the French, the University of Essex in England has reported near success of a completely artificial blood substitute, developed from haemoglobin. This product if found feasible, can be injected into patients of any blood group! 

So, how exactly is artificial blood created and what is its shelf life?

For instance, the French team extracted blood stem cells from a volunteer’s bone marrow and grew red blood cells in vitrio. Once cultured, the cells were injected back into the donor’s body. Observations revealed that the cells acted just like regular blood cells and carried oxygen around the body. They also deteriorated at the normal rate for blood cells. 

The English team is working on packing haemoglobin into a synthetic cell-like structure, or using a chemical to hold the haemoglobin together so that it can be injected without the need for red blood cells.
These innovations can really change the mortality equation in war zones, disaster areas, remote areas, places without blood banks and countries with high rates of HIV infection. It can also be used for elective surgeries.

Post Comment