Cord Blood is a Valuable Source of Stem Cells

Blood that is present in the human newborn umbilical cord is referred to as cord blood. Cord blood contains stem cells, which are undifferentiated but have the potential to develop into many different cell types. Cord blood stem cells were first used to treat blood disorders such as anemia and leukemia. Researchers are now investigating the use of cord blood stem cells for treatment of neurological diseases, spinal cord injuries, cardiovascular diseases, and type-1 diabetes.

In case of any life threatening problems that might arise after birth, hospitals store valuable cord blood because they are an excellent source of stem cells.

Stem cells collected from the umbilical cord are stored frozen making them readily available if the need arises. If the donor or a sibling is in need of a stem cell transplant, these cells would be a better match and should not be rejected as foreign. Studies are underway to culture cord blood stem cells in the laboratory before transplant, thereby increasing the cell numbers available to the patient.

Cord blood is collected from the severed portion of the umbilical cord immediately after childbirth, thus there is no harm to the baby. A needle and syringe are used to draw the blood out of the umbilical cord and it is then processed to remove the stem cells. The cells are frozen and stored at very low temperatures in liquid nitrogen.

The decision to collect cord blood at birth is made by the family a few weeks before the due date. There are two ways to bank and store cord blood. If the family wants to keep the stem cells available for their own use, they would be stored by a private company. Private companies usually charge an initial fee of up to $2000 followed by an annual storage cost of approximately $125. The stem cells can also be stored at a public bank where they would be available to anyone. There is no charge for storage at a public bank but those cells are no longer available to the family. Regardless of where the cells are stored, they are a valuable resource for treatment of disease.