What Benefits Will Parents Get from Umbilical Cord Blood Banking?

1. What Benefits Will Parents Get from Umbilical Cord Blood Banking? What is What is the The Umbilical cord is the part of the baby that plays an important role in carrying oxygen and other nutrients to the baby as well as carries the deoxygenated blood and other waste from the baby to the mother. It is not only important for nourishing the baby during pregnancy but also provides security after birth to both the baby and its entire family. the umbilical cord? umbilical cord? What is What is cord blood cord blood? ? Cord blood is the leftover blood found in the umbilical cord and placenta after the birth of a baby. Usually, this blood is thrown away. It can be saved and stored for future use in a cord blood bank. Cord blood is a rich source of stem cells which is the building blocks of the blood and immune system. They have the ability to develop into other cell types to help repair organs, tissues, and blood vessels, while also having the ability to be used to treat a host of diseases.

2. History of cord blood History of cord blood In the year 1988, first cord blood stem cell transplantation was done of a five-year-old boy named Matthew Farrow was treated with cord blood stem cells. The five-year-old Matthew suffered from Fanconi Anaemia, a severe inherited disease that damages the patient's bone marrow. His donor was his newborn sister, whose cord blood stem cells are collected and infused into the body of Matthew otherwise he may not live more than the next six months. In 2005, more than 6,000 cord blood stem cell transplants were performed throughout the world which increased to 8,000 in 2006. In the year 2017, over 40,000[1] umbilical cord blood transplants have been performed to date. Throughout the world, 780,000+ [2] cord blood units are stored in private cord blood banks. Stem Stem Cell Transplantation Cell Transplantation The transplantation of blood-forming stem cells is an accepted treatment to restore the body’s ability to make blood and immune cells. Blood-forming or “hematopoietic” stem cells (HSCs) can develop into any of the three types of blood cells: red cells, white cells or platelets. Certain patients with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or other blood cancers may benefit from high-dose chemotherapy or radiation therapy followed by stem cell transplantation. Patients with some other inherited or acquired marrow or immune system disorders may also benefit from stem cell transplantation. Cord blood stem cells Cord blood stem cells Cord blood stem cells are collected from the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born. Cord and placental blood contain large numbers of blood-forming stem cells. The donated cord blood is screened, frozen and stored at a cord blood bank for future use if it meets screening requirements. The stored cord blood collected from the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born is called a “cord blood unit.” Cord blood is rich in hematopoietic stem cells those are pluripotent that means they have the potency to regenerate themselves into any kind of cell of the body. The hematopoietic stem cells can treat diseases related to blood and immune system such as leukaemia, anemia, SCIDs, hypoplasia, etc. Cord blood banking Cord blood banking Cord blood (CB) banking refers to the processing, testing and storage of collected Cord Blood Units (CBUs), organization of data and maintains information of the stored sample. A Cord blood bank is a large repository of Cord Blood Units, fully tested and stored in freezers, which can be provided for transplantation upon demand.

3. How cord blood is collected? How cord blood is collected? Cord blood collection is possible by opting cord blood banking which is a process of saving your baby’s cord blood at the time of birth. Once your baby is born, the umbilical cord is clamped and the cord blood is collected the blood bag. This cord blood along with cord tissue and mother’s blood sample is then kept in the Kit box which is transported to the storage laboratory by maintaining a controlled temperature. In the laboratory, the cord blood is processed by an advanced automated technology known as AXP®II for harvesting hematopoietic stem cells. These stem cells are then stored in cryogenic freezers at -190°C. Options to do with cord blood Options to do with cord blood With cord blood parents are having three options: Throw the cord blood – At the time of birth, the umbilical cord along with the placenta can be thrown away. But it will lead to some consequences that you may lose the hope of treating different life-threatening diseases and saving a life. To donate the cord blood stem cells – If you donate the cord blood stem cell unit to a public bank then after checking the compatibility your cord blood unit sample will be kept in the registry. In the future, if anyone needs the stem cells for treatment, then a sample with matched HLA will be provided to the patient. Also, if you need stem cells for treatment in the future there is no guarantee that you will get a matched sample for treatment. “DONATION IS THE ACT OF GIVING AWAY WITH NO FURTHER RIGHTS” Store the cord blood stem cells – If you store the cord blood stem cells in a private bank, then the only thing is that you have to pay the fees for processing and storage. However,

4. the sample will be stored for personal use and no one else can use the sample without your concern. “WHERE MEDICINE STOPS | STEM CELLS START” Donation VS Exclusive banking Donation VS Exclusive banking PUBLIC BANKING NO NO HYBRID BANKING YES, ONLY 2 years YES, ONLY 2 years PRIVATE BANKING YES 21/75 YEARS (as opted) 21/75 YEARS (as opted) YES YES Exclusivity Ownership 100% Matched sample for baby NO YES, ONLY 2 years Access to matching sample YES YES Cost of retrieval 15 TO 20 LAKHS NO FREE NO Genetically related stored sample Guarantee of getting matched stem cells NO NO YES Benefits Benefits of cord blood banking of cord blood banking The cord blood bank is a readily available source of stem cells Cord blood unit sample is the closest genetic match for an immediate family member A cord blood sample is the potential source of stem cell treatment Young and more efficient cells can be harvested from the umbilical cord blood.  Umbilical cord blood stem cells are the only possible match for the baby and its immediate family members. It possesses a 100% match for baby and 50-75% for siblings and 25% for the parents. 1.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5580430/ 2.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3170109/