Cord blood is the blood from the baby that is left in the umbilical cord and placenta after birth. It contains special cells called hematopoietic stem cells that can be used to treat some types of diseases.
Most cells can make copies only of themselves. For example, a skin cell only can make another skin cell. Hematopoietic stem cells, however, can mature into different types of blood cells in the body. Hematopoietic stem cells also are found in blood and bone marrow in adults and children.
Hematopoietic stem cells can be used to treat more than 70 types of diseases, including diseases of the immune system, genetic disorders, neurologic disorders, and some forms of cancer, including leukemia and lymphoma. For some of these diseases, stem cells are the primary treatment. For others, treatment with stem cells may be used when other treatments have not worked or in experimental research programs.
Using the stem cells in cord blood to treat a disease has the following benefits compared with using those in bone marrow:
A disadvantage of cord blood is that it does not contain many stem cells. Units from several donors can be combined to increase the number of stem cells if a transplant is needed for an adult.
In an autologous transplant, the cord blood collected at birth is used by that same child. This type of transplant is rare for the following reasons:
In an allogenic transplant, another person’s stem cells are used to treat a child’s disease. This kind of transplant is more likely to be done than an autologous transplant. In an allogenic transplant, the donor can be a relative or be unrelated to the child.
For an allogenic transplant to work, there has to be a good match between donor and recipient. A donor is a good match when certain things about his or her cells and the recipient’s cells are alike. If the match is not good, the recipient’s immune system may reject the donated cells. If the cells are rejected, the transplant does not work.
Cord blood is kept in one of two types of banks: public or private. They differ in important ways that may affect your choice.
Public cord blood banks store cord blood for allogenic transplants. They do not charge to store cord blood. The stem cells in the donated cord blood can be used by anyone who matches. Some public banks will store cord blood for directed donation if you have a family member who has a disease that could potentially be treated with stem cells.
Donors to public banks must be screened for blood or immune system disorders or other problems. With a cord blood donation, the mother’s blood is tested for genetic disorders and infections, and the cord blood also is tested after it is collected. Once it arrives at the blood bank, cord blood is tracked by computer so that it can be found quickly for any person who matches when needed.
Private or family banks store cord blood for autologous use or directed donation for a family member. Private banks charge a yearly fee for storage. Blood stored in a private bank must meet the same standards as blood stored in a public bank. If you have a family member with a disorder that may potentially be treated with stem cells, some private banks will store the cord blood free of charge.
If you choose a private bank, you will sign a contract and pay a fee before the baby is born.
Cord blood is collected by your obstetrician–gynecologist (ob-gyn) or the staff at the hospital where you give birth. After the baby is born, the umbilical cord is cut and clamped. Blood is drawn from the cord with a needle that has a bag attached. The process takes about 10 minutes.
Not all hospitals offer this service. Some charge a separate fee that may or may not be covered by insurance.
Sometimes, not enough cord blood can be collected. This can happen if the baby is preterm or if it is decided to delay clamping of the umbilical cord. It also can happen for no clear reason. Also, if an emergency occurs during delivery, priority is given to caring for you and your baby over collecting cord blood.
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Cord blood is the blood from your baby that is left in the umbilical cord and placenta after birth. It contains special cells called hematopoietic stem cells that can be used to treat some types of diseases. Saving this blood for a future use is called cord blood banking.
What is special about hematopoietic stem cells? Most cells can make copies only of themselves. For example, a skin cell only can make another skin cell. Hematopoietic stem cells, however, can mature into other kinds of blood cells. This makes them useful for treating more than 70 types of diseases, including diseases of the immune system, genetic disorders, neurologic disorders, and some forms of cancer, such as leukemia and lymphoma. Stem cells are the primary form of treatment for some of these; for others, they are used when other treatments have been unsuccessful or in research programs.
The greatest disadvantage of cord blood is that it doesn’t contain many stem cells, so donations from several donors may need to be combined to treat an adult.
There are two kinds of cord blood transplants: autologous and allogenic.
In autologous transplants, the cord blood collected at a child’s birth is used to treat the same child. This is a fairly rare situation because a child’s own stem cells can’t be used to treat these diseases, which are commonly treated with stem cells:
In allogenic transplants, another person’s stem cells are used to treat disease. The donor may be related or unrelated to the person being treated, but their cells must be similar enough to make the transplant work.
For future use, cord blood is frozen and stored in public or private cord blood banks. In Cheyenne, there are no public cord blood banks. Only private banks are available for cord blood storage.
A good resource to learn more about public and private banks is the Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation.
Your doctor will collect the cord blood when you give birth in a simple, painless process. After your baby is born, your doctor will cut and clamp the umbilical cord, then draw the blood from the cord using a needle that has a bag attached. The process takes about 10 minutes. Afterwards, the blood will be sent to the bank you have chosen using a kit the bank will have sent to you as part of your contract with them.
Banking cord blood can provide beneficial health benefits for people with certain diseases. If it’s something you’re interested in doing after your baby is born, talk to your doctor.
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