Value of cordblood

What makes cord blood more usable than bone marrow?
First, cord blood stem cells are easily extracted, resulting in no risk or pain for the mother or baby. Alternatively, bone marrow collection is an invasive procedure and requires general anesthesia with its inherent risks. Also, cord blood stem cells have a high rate of engraftment, are more tolerant of HLA mismatches, result in a reduced rate of graft-versus-host disease and are rarely contaminated with latent viruses—which simply means that the body often accepts cord blood stem cells better than those from bone marrow. Plus, banked cord blood is readily accessible, allowing treatment to begin earlier if required, with no time wasted in the search and matching process required for publicly banked stem cells. And lastly, when you bank with Cryo-Cell, there is no cost to retrieve your baby’s stored stem cells if they are needed for transplant.

Are there other benefits to banking my newborn’s cord blood?
Yes, many. Often, matched stem cells, which are necessary for transplant, are difficult to obtain due to strict matching requirements. But cells taken from your newborn are a perfect match for your baby for his or her lifetime. For example, in the event your child contracts a disease, which must be treated with chemotherapy or radiation, there is a probability of a negative impact on the immune system. While an autologous (self) transplant may not be appropriate for every disease, there could be a benefit in using the preserved U-Cord® stem cells to bolster and repopulate your child’s blood and immune system as a result of complications from other treatments.

Additionally, your child’s cord blood stem cells have at least a one-in-four chance of matching a sibling. Using genetically related stem cells, which are free from the disease being treated, often results in successful transplants with fewer complications. Also, cord blood is ‘privileged’ or unexposed to most diseases. And what’s more, cord blood may have uses in the future well beyond stem cell transplants. New medical technology may utilize U-Cord stem cells to rebuild cardiac tissue, repair damage due to stroke or spinal cord injuries and reverse the effects of such diseases as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's. While the research is in its early stages, the possibilities are extremely promising. So by banking your child's U-Cord stem cells now, you increase his or her access to any of these technologies in the future.

Still not convinced of how stem cell banking can help your family?
While saving your child's U-Cord stem cells is an investment, it still costs less than many families spend on their child's nursery. Plus, storage fees after the first year are less than $3/week. And if that’s not enough, consider this: if you donate the cord blood to a public bank, be aware that the stem cells may not be available for your use in the future.