Better than Bone Marrow

Thirty years ago, a bone marrow transplant was a patient’s best hope for recovery.  But as cord blood processing and storage technology has advanced, things have changed.

According to the FDA and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, umbilical cord blood stem cells are now better than bone marrow.  Stem cells from umbilical cord blood are now widely used in clinical research and are a leading source of stem cells for cellular therapy.

Stem cells from umbilical cord blood have some important benefits that important to consider when thinking about private cord blood banking for your growing family for several reasons:

There When You Need It

Your child’s privately banked cord blood is ready to use immediately, whereas it can take several months to find a matching bone marrow donor.   A potentially lifesaving treatment is one phone call away.  At Cord For Life, we have released over 2,200 units for treatments, clinical trials, and research.  Our team has seen the power of stem cells and believes in their future potential.

Safer Transplants

In addition, treating your child with their own stem cells, rather than an unrelated bone marrow donor’s, reduces the risk of transmitting blood-borne diseases.  There is also evidence that cord blood stem cells may not require as exact of a match as bone marrow stem cells.

Using stem cells from umbilical cord blood lowers the risk for Graft-Versus-Host Disease, a serious and sometimes fatal complication where the donor’s immune cells attack the patient’s healthy tissue.  Since the antigens in cord blood are less mature, they are less likely to see the patient’s cells as foreign and attack them.

Check out the table below for a helpful guide to the differences to consider when comparing private cord blood banking to relying on finding a suitable bone marrow donor.