What are the Benefits of Cord Blood and Tissue Banking?
What is Cord blood?
Cord blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta post-delivery. Upon the birth of the baby, the umbilical cord is clipped and cut as per the plan of birthing scheduled with the doctor, leaving almost an average of 80–120 milliliters, or about 1/3 of a cup to 1/2 of a cup, of blood inside. This blood that is remaining in the cord and the placenta is then drawn from the cord into a collection bag using a surgical needle.
An apparently small volume of blood is collected which contains millions of a specific kind of adult stem cell that could go on in the formation of the blood and immune system. It is these stem cells that are isolated, extracted, and preserved for their possible future use in the cure of disease or any other medical conditions.
What do you mean by Cord tissue?
Cord tissue is the insulating matter which is surrounding the vessels of the umbilical cord. Upon delivery, the umbilical cord will be clipped and cut, and a part of the cord (generally a piece measuring 4 inches in length) could then be saved. The cord tissue could contain millions of a distinct type of stem cell that goes on to form the nervous system of a person, sensory organs, circulatory tissues, skin, bone, cartilage, and more. It is these stem cells that is collected and conserved for their possible use in the future in the treatment of disease or any other medical conditions.
THE BENEFITS OF STORING CORD TISSUE
These cord blood and cord tissues are presently the best curative cells for regenerative medicine related to muscular, osteoarticular, vascular, and inflammatory diseases.
There are over 50 medical trials that are currently researching the use of Cord Tissue to cure diseases such as Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Asthma, Type 1 Diabetes, Hearing Loss, Eczema, and many more. Doctors are immensely excited by the major life-changing potential which is arising from the research of cord tissue.
STORING BOTH CORD BLOOD AND CORD TISSUE CREATES MORE TREATMENT OPTIONS
By storing both cord blood of your baby (which is rich in Hematopoietic Stem Cells or HSCs) and cord tissue (which contains Mesenchymal Stem Cells or MSCs), you are storing two kinds of stems cells that are a 100% equivalent to your baby — one with the current possibility and one with the future possibility to cure a variety of injuries or diseases. Talking about the perfection of storage then, Cord blood and tissue banking services are provided by the health centers for baby’s better and much secure life.
How Is Cord Tissue Collected?
Just like our cord blood collection process, collecting cord tissue is a simple process. Accumulating cord tissue is secure, painless, and would not interfere with the plan of birth or the bonding time with your newborn baby.
After the baby is born, your medical professional will clip and cut the umbilical cord. The blood would then be collected from the cord so all that is left is the tissue of the umbilical cord. Your medical professional would cut and place the remaining umbilical cord tissue in a storage cup which is sterilized and protective that is provided in our collection kit.
When the collection is finished, the collected cord tissue is sent to the processing lab. There, the specialists of lab pull out the stem cells from the umbilical cord tissue, in advance from storage, to prepare the cells for future medical use.
Where Is It Stored?
There are three options:
Public cord banks don’t impose anything for storage. Any donation made is accessible by anyone who is in need of it. The bank might also use the donated cord blood for research.
Private (commercial) cord banks would store the donated blood to be used only by the donor and members of the family members. They could be costly. These banks charge a processing fee and an annual fee for storage.
Direct-donation banks are a mixture of private and public banks. They store cord blood for the use of the public. But they also receive donations conserved for families. No fee is imposed.