Before deciding to privately bank your newborn’s umbilical cord blood, you are probably wondering what the uses are for your child and other family members.
Stem cells from a newborn’s umbilical cord blood are FDA approved to treat over 80 diseases, helping regenerate the body after chemotherapy, radiation, and other aggressive medical procedures. While that’s a compelling reason to bank cord blood, it is important to understand what these treatments are and how stem cells from your child’s umbilical cord blood can help with recovery.
Every three minutes someone in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer, like leukemia. For many, stem cells from umbilical cord blood hold the cure.
One of the first things to understand is the difference between treatments where your child uses their own cord blood (autologous) and treatments using your child’s cord blood to treat other family members (allogeneic). There are many diseases that can be treated with autologous cord blood as shown in the table below.
So much research is going on with stem cells from cord blood as scientists work to unlock the secrets of stem cells. Much of the research centers on the anti-inflammatory properties of stem cells from umbilical cord blood. Medical research into stem cells is ongoing, offering the potential to treat diseases or injuries that have […]
Stem cells perform three important functions: 1. They renew themselves; 2. Differentiate into other cells; and 3. Renew other cells. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) can restore the immune system following chemotherapy or radiation for leukemia, lymphoma, and other life-threatening diseases. Historically, HSCs have only been available from bone marrow and peripheral blood transplants. As cord […]
In addition to potentially life-saving stem cells, your newborn’s umbilical cord blood also contains their DNA. Storing your child’s cord blood ensures that their baseline genetic information will be available if ever needed. What Can Genes Tell Us? The sum total of all the information coded into your child’s individual genes is their genome. Simply […]
By donating your newborn’s cord blood, you are joining a nationwide effort to create a genetically diverse inventory of stem cells for transplant to a child.