The Value of Cord Blood
About Cord Blood
Cord blood is the few ounces of blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta which has traditionally been discarded as medical waste following the birth of a child. Physicians and scientists discovered that cord blood contains stem cells (similar to those in bone marrow) that have the ability to replicate or develop into additional cells which can be used to treat life-threatening diseases. Cord blood banking is the process in which cord blood is collected, processed, frozen, and cryogenically stored. Cord blood transplantation is the process where the stored cord blood is thawed and subsequently infused in patients.
Uses of Cord Blood
Since the first successful cord blood transplant in 1988, cord blood has been used to save thousands of lives. Cord blood transplants have been successful in the treatment of more than 70 life-threatening diseases including leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia. A list of the diseases currently treated with cord blood can be found under Diseases Currently Treated with Cord Blood. In addition, there are many clinical trials and pre-clinical laboratory research studies for other diseases being conducted with cord blood. For example, human clinical trials are underway for Type I Diabetes and Cerebral Palsy. A list of current cord blood clinical trials can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov (a service of the National Institutes of Health). The presence of clinical trials and pre-clinical laboratory research does not guarantee that cord blood will be successful in the treatment of those diseases in the future.
Why do Expectant Parents Choose to Bank Cord Blood?
Hundreds of thousands of expectant parents have chosen to bank their babies' cord blood in order to have their cord blood available should they ever need it. Expectant parents choose CORD:USE for their cord blood bank because they want their family’s cord blood to benefit from CORD:USE’s stringent processes, advanced technologies, and the experience of the world’s leading cord blood experts. This will increase the likelihood that their cord blood will have the maximum number of viable cells when thawed for medical uses.