Cord Blood Banking

o After a baby is born and the umbilical cord is cut, some blood remains in the blood vessels of the placenta and the portion of the umbilical cord that remains attached to it.

o This blood is called placental blood or umbilical cord blood: "cord blood" for short.

Cord Blood

o Cord blood contains all the normal elements of blood (RBCs, WBCs, Platelets, & Plasma)

o Also rich in hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells, similar to those found in bone marrow.

o Can be used for transplantation as an alternative to bone marrow.

Cord Blood

o Cord blood contains special cells called stem cells that may help treat numerous kinds of diseases such as sickle cell and blood cancers.

o These cells can also be used for research testing to determine if the cells can help with problems like brain damage, diabetes, and heart disease.

Cord Blood

Cord Blood Collection Kit

o The cord blood preservation process utilized with vary by facility or public bank.

o An adequate cord blood collection sample must first have been obtained for banking, which is typically a minimum of 75mL. The average sample size is 100mL.

Storage

o After the cord blood collection procedure has been completed, the sample is packed in the pre-labeled materials uniquely labelled to your child and then sent off to the facility of your choice.

o a cryopreservant will be added to the umbilical cord blood sample, which allows the stem cells to survive the freezing process.

Storage

o It will be added to a liquid nitrogen tank that will further freeze the unit to its preservation temperature of -196 C.

o Cord Blood can remain viable for up to 16 years without showing any signs of deterioration.

Storage

An Easy Process that pose no risks―Cord blood collection is a safe, simple

procedure. Collection of cord blood from the delivered placenta is in a way that does not interfere with the care of the mother or newborn baby. Collection, therefore, poses no risk to mother or baby.

Benefits

Treatment of Diseases―Umbilical cord blood transplants can

treat Leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell disease, and various inherited immune system disorders

Benefits

Better than Bone Marrow―Cord blood matches need to meet

only 4 out of 6 criteria, while bone marrow matches must meet at least 5 out of 6 criteria

Benefits

Chance of Family Match―Only 30 percent of patients in need of

a marrow or blood cell transplant find a matched donor in their family. The other 70 percent may turn to search for an unrelated donor or cord blood unit.

Benefits

Thank you!