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What is cord blood?
Cord blood is the blood that remains in a baby's umbilical cord and in the placenta following delivery. At Xytex we consider your baby’s umbilical cord blood to be “a lifeline worth preserving” – not something to be discarded. Cord blood contains literally millions of stem cells, building blocks that have the potential to save a life in the future.
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Why are stem cells so important?
Adult stem cells are found in many places, including bone marrow, circulating blood and umbilical cord blood. As a rich source of stem cells, umbilical cord blood offers families a “hedge” in the event of a future health issue that would benefit from a stem cell transplant. When transplanted, stem cells regenerate into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, and help restore a healthy blood and immune system in those fighting diseases such as cancer or genetic disorders. As the “cornerstone” of blood, organ tissue and the immune system, stem cells can change into other types of cells, including muscle, nerve, bone and organs like the heart and liver. Best of all, it is less expensive to harvest umbilical cord blood for stem cells than other procedures such as bone marrow retrieval – and it is painless for the donor baby.
Remember, unlike embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, including those from cord blood, are free from controversy and ethical issues.
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If my child were to develop a disease such as leukemia, would it be possible to transplant his own stem cells?
Medical research reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology has shown that using autologous stem cells (one’s own stem cells) in a transplant to treat acute leukemia are just as successful as allogeneic sibling transplants. A stem cell transplant is often necessary to replace the healthy cells in the bone marrow that are destroyed by radiation and/or chemotherapy in treating cancers, such as leukemia. The stem cells that are transplanted will regenerate and produce new stem cells in the bone marrow to help keep the blood and immune system healthy.
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What are the benefits of cord blood versus bone marrow?
Cord blood stem cells will always be a perfect match for your child. But because these stem cells are less mature than bone marrow stem cells, there is less need for a perfect match for siblings and other relatives. In fact, according to recent studies, using cord blood as an alternative to bone marrow lowers the risk of graft versus host disease, or transplant rejection.
Cord blood is also easier to collect than bone marrow and, when privately banked, is immediately accessible by your family, an important consideration when time is of the essence.
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When was cord blood first used for a stem cell transplant?
In 1988 in France, a patient received umbilical cord blood stem cells for a transplant to treat Fanconi anemia. In the 20 years since then, thousands of successful transplants have been done using cord blood as a substitute for bone marrow.
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