FAQs: Benefits of Banking Cord Blood & Tissue
Answers to questions about cord blood and tissue stem cells, what banking could mean for your family, plus clarification of common misconceptions about cord blood banking.
Cord Blood Stem Cells
- What is cord blood?
- What are stem cells?
- Are cord blood stem cells different from other stem cells?
- What is cord blood banking, and how is it done?
- How is cord blood used in medical treatments?
- Who can use my baby's cord blood stem cells?
- How likely is it that my family will need to use stem cells?
- Does having more stem cells matter for treatment outcomes?
- What is graft vs. host disease (GvHD)?
- What is HLA matching?
Cord Tissue Stem Cells
- What is cord tissue?
- How are cord tissue stem cells being researched for use in medical treatments?
- What is cord tissue banking, and how is it done?
- How are cord tissue stem cells different from cord blood stem cells?
Newborn Stem Cell Banking and Your Family
- Why are there stem cells in the umbilical cord?
- Why do families choose to collect and store their babies' cord blood?
- What are my options for saving my baby's cord blood?
- How do I donate my baby's cord blood to a public bank?
- Who can use my baby's cord blood stem cells?
- How likely is it that my family will need to use stem cells?
- Does having more stem cells matter for treatment outcomes?
- Should I save cord blood for all of my children?
- How long can the stem cells be stored?
- What if someone in my family is sick now and needs my child's cord blood?
- If someone in my family needs a transplant, could we find a donated sample from a public bank?
- Are there risks involved in newborn stem cell treatments?
- Does CBR own its laboratory?
Common Misconceptions
- "Cord blood collection takes important blood away from my baby."
- "The chances that a family with no history of cancer or disease will ever need their banked cord blood are so low that people shouldn't bother doing it."
- "The cord blood stem cells may not remain useful after long-term storage."
Cord Blood Stem Cells
What is cord blood?
Cord blood is the blood that remains in your newborn's umbilical cord after birth. Cord blood is an invaluable source of a pristine type of stem cell that can be used in a variety of medical treatments.
Umbilical cord blood stem cells are smart, powerful and unique »
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are the body's "master cells" because they are the building blocks of organ tissues, blood, and the immune system. Stem cells from bone marrow were first used to regenerate blood and immune cells for patients who had received chemotherapy for cancer. In the late 1980s, doctors started using cord blood stem cells to treat diseases that had previously been treated with bone marrow transplantation.
Today, cord blood stem cells are successfully being used to save lives. They also are being researched in an exciting new area of medicine called regenerative medicine, where scientists are studying the use of cord blood stem cells in experimental treatments for conditions like brain injury and acquired hearing loss.
Diseases currently treated using cord blood stem cells »
Are cord blood stem cells different than other stem cells?
Yes. Cord blood stem cells are biologically younger and are more flexible compared to adult stem cells from other sources like bone marrow. When saved, they have unique qualities and advantages:
- Less risk of complications when used in transplants39
- Immediately available and can minimize disease progression in early treatment40
- Preserving them "stops the clock" and protects the cells from aging and being exposed to environmental factors and common viruses that can decrease their function41
- Simple, safe, and painless to collect
Cord blood stem cells are not embryonic stem cells and are not controversial.
Umbilical cord blood stem cells are smart, powerful and unique »
What is cord blood banking and how is it done?
Cord blood banking is a one-time opportunity to save your baby's cord blood stem cells for potential medical uses. Having cord blood saved can be lifesaving or life-changing for your baby or other family members and ensures that these cells are immediately available if ever needed. Collecting cord blood is a simple, safe, and painless procedure that usually takes less than five minutes and happens immediately after birth. After the umbilical cord has been cut, the remaining blood in the cord is collected. The cord blood is then shipped to the laboratory, processed, and frozen in cryogenic storage tanks for long-term preservation.
If you do not save your baby's cord blood, it will be discarded after birth.
Why expecting parents bank their baby’s stem cells »
How is cord blood used in medical treatments?
Cord blood stem cells have been successfully used in transplant medicine for more than 20 years. Cord blood has been used to treat many life-threatening diseases including leukemia, other cancers, blood disorders, metabolic disorders, and immune diseases.
Cord blood also is being used in regenerative medicine research, where stem cells are being evaluated for their ability to induce healing and regenerate cells to repair tissues. Clinical trials are evaluating a child's own cord blood stem cell infusions as experimental therapies to treat cerebral palsy, brain injury, juvenile diabetes, and acquired hearing loss.
Your physician will determine if cord blood stem cells should be used and if one's own stem cells or a matched donor's would be the best course of treatment. Like other medical procedures, therapies using cord blood may involve risk, which should be discussed with your physician.
Diseases currently treated using cord blood stem cells »
Who can use my baby's cord blood stem cells?
Any family member who is a suitable match may be able to use your baby's cord blood stem cells for transplant medicine. Siblings are the most likely to be compatible matches, with 25% of these cases offering a perfect match. It is less likely that other family members will be a sufficient match, and there is no guarantee that an adequate stem cell match will be found for any given patient.
Your baby will always be a perfect match to his or her own stem cells and may use them for a number of diseases, however, not generally for inherited genetic conditions. In those cases, a matched sibling's stem cells would be the first choice.
Clients treated with umbilical cord blood stem cells »
How likely is it that my family will need to use stem cells?
The use of cord blood has increased significantly in the past 15 years. As uses expand, so does the likelihood that the stem cells may be needed by a member of your family. Based on the most recent data, the likelihood of needing a stem cell transplant from any source is:
- 1 in 217 – for an individual (by age 70), using his or her own stem cells or someone else's42
However, this data does not reflect potential therapies using stem cells that may be developed in the future. Currently, there are more than 30 FDA-regulated clinical trials researching medical uses for cord blood stem cells, including studies for cerebral palsy, brain injury, juvenile diabetes, and hearing loss.
Diseases currently treated using cord blood stem cells »
Does having more stem cells matter for treatment outcomes?
Yes. In transplant medicine, having more stem cells can improve medical outcomes, including faster recovery and fewer complications.10,11
CBR recovers more umbilical cord stem cells »
What is graft vs. host disease (GvHD)?
GvHD is one of the most common and life-threatening side effects of using stem cells from another individual or "donor" to treat the patient. In fact, GvHD is the leading cause of death following a transplant. GvHD occurs when the transplanted stem cells from a donor recognize the recipient's body as foreign and attack it. Stem cells from cord blood are less likely to cause GvHD than bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells. Family banked cord blood can help reduce GvHD and improve treatment outcomes because:
- The stem cells in cord blood are more flexible and less reactive than adult stem cells from other sources43
- Cord blood used between family members has a lower risk of GvHD compared to cord blood from unrelated donors 28,29
Clients treated with umbilical cord blood stem cells »
What is HLA matching?
HLA matching is the criteria used to determine donor and recipient compatibility. In cord blood, it generally refers to six proteins called human leukocyte antigens (HLA) that appear on the surface of white blood cells and other tissues in the body. A transplant will only be performed if there is an adequate HLA match between the donor and recipient. A perfect six out of six match is best. Siblings have a 25% chance of being a perfect match.27
Why expecting parents bank their baby’s stem cells »
Cord Tissue Stem Cells
What is cord tissue?
Cord tissue is your baby's umbilical cord, which contains mesenchymal stem cells. These stem cells can form connective tissues such as bone, cartilage, and tendon, and have unique properties that make them promising for cellular therapies. Studies are evaluating cord tissue stem cells as possible treatments for many injuries and diseases.
Healing potential of cord tissue »
How are cord tissue stem cells being researched for use in medical treatments?
Stem cells from cord tissue have demonstrated the power to heal spinal cord, brain, and cartilage injuries in laboratory studies. This research is now beginning to move into clinical trials. It is at an early stage and medical treatments may never be developed.
Clinical trials using newborn stem cells »
What is cord tissue banking, and how is it done?
CBR is the first bank to offer U.S. families the opportunity to save a segment of their babies' umbilical cords. The primary cells in cord tissue are different from the primary cells found in cord blood and may help repair the body in different ways. Saving both sources of stems cells may offer even more access to medicine in the future.
After your baby's umbilical cord has been clamped and cut, and after cord blood collection, your doctor or midwife will collect a 4- to 8-inch segment of the umbilical cord and place it in the CBR CordCup® container. The collection kit is then returned to CBR's laboratory by an express courier. Cord tissue collection is safe for both the mother and baby and can be done after vaginal or C-section births.
Because cord tissue research is still in its early stages, CBR stores your baby's cord tissue whole, preserving all of the cells within it for your family's potential future use. The cord tissue is cryogenically stored for long-term preservation so it can be processed to extract the cells needed using the best technology of the future.
If you do not save your baby's cord tissue, it is discarded as medical waste.
Advanced umbilical cord stem cell collection, processing and storage »
How are cord tissue stem cells different from cord blood stem cells?
Cord tissue is a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells, which create connective tissue. Cord blood is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells, which create the blood and immune system. Because of the different functions of these stem cells, cord blood and cord tissue may help repair the body in different ways. Cord tissue research is still in its early stages, and safe and effective therapies may never be developed.
Healing potential of cord tissue »
Newborn Stem Cell Banking and Your Family
Why are there stem cells in the umbilical cord?
Stem cells are found throughout the body, but in larger numbers in the blood system. Stress on the body can cause even more stem cells to circulate in the blood, and birth is a very stressful event for a newborn.
Once the baby is born, the blood that remains in the umbilical cord still contains a “reservoir” of stem-cell rich blood that can be easily collected without risk to the newborn or mother.
Learn more about the healing potential of cord tissue »
Why do families choose to collect and store their babies' cord blood?
Banking may give families a powerful resource against injuries and diseases that can occur in the future. Every month, thousands of new parents, a number of them doctors, nurses, and scientists, store their newborn's stem cells with CBR. Some of the important reasons to save cord blood include the following:
- Cord blood is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells, which are used in transplant medicine to treat many life-threatening diseases, such as leukemia and other cancers. As with other medical procedures, therapies using cord blood may involve risk, which should be discussed with a physician.
- Cord blood is being evaluated today for its ability to treat cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, acquired hearing loss, and juvenile diabetes.
- Your baby's cord blood is available for your family if needed for treatment, without the need for painful and potentially time-consuming bone marrow harvest surgery. Early treatment can minimize disease progression.40
- If ever required for a transplant, using your own family's cord blood instead of an unrelated donor's can have significant advantages, including fewer complications and improved medical outcomes28,29
- Current clinical trials in the U.S. that use cord blood require the child's own stem cells
More specific reasons families save cord blood include:
- Having a family history of disease
- Having a baby of an ethnic minority or mixed ethnicity, in which there is greater difficulty finding stem cell donors33
- Adopting a newborn and wanting a valuable source of stem cells genetically identical to the adopted baby
It is important to know that, for certain inherited genetic conditions, the child's own cord blood may not be used; in those cases, a matched sibling's stem cells would be the first choice. There is no guarantee that an adequate stem cell match will be found for any given patient.28,29
Why expecting parents bank their baby’s stem cells »
What are my options for saving my baby's cord blood?
You have two options to save your baby's cord blood:
Family banking: Your baby's cord blood is stored for a fee for exclusive use by your family.
Newborn Possibilities Program®: CBR offers cord blood and cord tissue collection, processing and storage at no cost for five years when a family member has been diagnosed with a condition that can be treated with stem cells.
Public donation: Your baby's cord blood is donated anonymously for potential use by a patient who needs a transplant. You must give birth in a participating hospital.
If you choose not to family bank or donate, your baby's cord blood is discarded at the hospital.
Why expecting parents bank their baby's stem cells »
How do I donate my baby's cord blood to a public bank?
With public donation, you may be able to donate your baby's cord blood for use by an anonymous patient in need. In 2009, the National Marrow Donor Program® facilitated more than 4,800 marrow and cord blood transplants for patients who did not have matching donors in the family. For more information about donation, visit BeTheMatch.org.
Benefits of cord blood banking »
Who can use my baby's cord blood stem cells?
Any family member who is a suitable match may be able to use your baby's cord blood stem cells for transplant medicine. Siblings are the most likely to be compatible matches, with 25% of these cases offering a perfect match. It is less likely that other family members will be a sufficient match, and there is no guarantee that an adequate stem cell match will be found for any given patient.
Your baby will always be a perfect match to his or her own stem cells and may use them for a number of diseases, however, not for inherited genetic conditions. In those cases, a matched sibling's stem cells would be the first choice.
Clients treated with umbilical cord blood stem cells »
How likely is it that my family will need to use stem cells?
The use of cord blood has increased significantly in the past 15 years. As uses expand, so does the likelihood that the stem cells may be needed by a member of your family. Based on the most recent data, the likelihood of needing a stem cell transplant from any source is:
- 1 in 217 – for an individual (by age 70), using his or her own stem cells or someone else's42
However, this data does not reflect potential therapies using stem cells that may be developed in the future. Currently there are more than 30 FDA-regulated clinical trials researching medical uses for cord blood stem cells, including studies for cerebral palsy, brain injury, juvenile diabetes, and hearing loss.
Diseases currently treated using cord blood stem cells »
Does having more stem cells matter for treatment outcomes?
Yes. In transplant medicine, having more stem cells can improve medical outcomes, including faster recovery and fewer complications.10,11
CBR recovers more umbilical cord stem cells »
Should I save cord blood for all of my children?
Yes. Saving cord blood for each child gives your family more options because:
- Each child has access to his or her own genetically unique cells. Your baby may use the stem cells for a number of diseases, however, not generally for inherited genetic conditions. In those cases, a matched sibling's stem cells would be the first choice. For experimental regenerative medicine therapies that use cord blood, the child's own stem cells are currently required.
- There is increased likelihood that a family member in need will have access to a related source of cord blood for treatment.
- Expecting identical twins? It is still important to save cord blood for each child as it is extremely difficult to determine if twins are indeed identical. Each child's cord blood is banked separately.
Clients treated with umbilical cord blood stem cells »
How long can the stem cells be stored?
According to published regulatory guidelines and current science involving cryogenic storage of cells, cord blood stem cells can be stored indefinitely under the proper conditions.44,45
State-of-the-art stem cell processing and storage »
What if someone in my family is sick now and needs my child's cord blood?
Our Newborn Possibilities Program® provides cord blood and cord tissue collection, processing, and five years of storage at no cost to eligible families with a medical need. Families may apply to the Designated Treatment Program for a qualifying relative who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease treatable with donor stem cells. For more information on the Designated Treatment Program, please click here.
Criteria for free family cord blood banking »
If someone in my family needs a transplant, could we find a donated sample from a public bank?
Possibly. However, if a patient is in need of a transplant, the physician will look first for a suitable stem cell donor within the patient's family. Using cord blood from your own family has advantages for treating cancers and blood disorders. Matched cord blood from within your own family can result in:
- Fewer complications
- Improved medical outcomes28,29
Additionally, saving cord blood for all of your children is important for participation in current clinical trials, for which the child's own cord blood is required. There is no guarantee that an adequate stem cell match will be found in either a public bank or within your family.
Why expecting parents bank their baby's stem cells »
Are there risks involved in newborn stem cell treatments?
Like any medical procedure, newborn stem cell treatments may involve risks, which should be discussed with your doctor. Ultimate use of newborn stem cells will be determined by your treating physician.
Clients treated with umbilical cord blood stem cells »
Does CBR own its laboratory?
Yes. Our cutting-edge laboratory was designed and built specifically for newborn stem cell processing and storage. At 80,000-square feet and currently holding more than 400,000 cord blood and tissue samples and with the capacity to safely store cord blood for more than five million newborns, our laboratory is the largest newborn stem cell bank in the world. CBR's lab is located in Tucson, Arizona, one of the safest cities in the nation in terms of risk from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, winter storms, and tornados.6
Our state-of-the-art processing, quality-control, and quality-assurance metrics are in accordance with FDA guidelines, and we are accredited by the AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks) and certified by CLIA (a federal program to ensure quality laboratory testing). CBR's storage technology system provides highly secure, long-term protection for your baby's stem cells.
Common Misconceptions
Misconception:
"Cord blood collection takes important blood away from my baby."
Fact:
Cord blood collection is painless, easy, and safe for both mother and newborn. The cord blood is collected after your baby is born and the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut. The cord blood being collected is blood that would normally be discarded after birth. Your caregiver will not alter the normal birthing process in any way, except to collect your baby's cord blood. Cord blood collection can take place after a vaginal or C-section birth and collection can still be performed after delayed clamping.
Umbilical cord blood collection kit safety features »
Misconception:
"The chances that a family with no history of cancer or disease will ever need their banked cord blood are so low that people shouldn't bother doing it."
Families save their babies' cord blood stem cells with CBR for peace of mind because they don't want to take the chance of not banking when these stem cells may one day be lifesaving to someone in their family. Many families have no history of disease but recognize the current and future value of their newborns' cord blood stem cells as a resource for medical treatments.
Family History:
Family history is not a reliable indicator of need because most forms of leukemia (the most common reason for needing a stem cell transplant) are not hereditary, and the causes of many cancers and diseases are unknown. In fact, numerous serious diseases treatable with cord blood are not hereditary and occur without warning.
Odds of Use:
Although no one can predict future illness or injury, published estimates of the odds of needing stem cells for current uses in transplant medicine are 1 in 217.42
Based on current data, cord blood stem cells should remain useful indefinitely, so your family may be able to use the cells for diseases and injuries that occur decades from now.44,45 The fastest growing use of cord blood stem cells for CBR families has been in regenerative medicine research for the treatment of brain injury, for which there is no family history, and juvenile diabetes.
- Transplant Medicine: In transplant medicine, a patient generally will undergo chemotherapy to treat the underlying disease and then receive an infusion of cord blood stem cells to create a new healthy blood and immune system. In fact, cord blood stem cells have been used to treat many life-threatening diseases, such as leukemia and other cancers.
- Regenerative Medicine: New research with cord blood focuses on regenerative medicine, where doctors evaluate stem cells ability to repair damaged tissues and organs in the body.
Why expecting parents bank their baby's stem cells »
Misconception:
"The cord blood stem cells may not remain useful after long-term storage."
Fact:
Based on published regulatory guidelines and current science involving cryogenic storage of cells, cord blood stem cells should remain useful indefinitely, so your family may be able to use the cells for diseases and injuries that occur decades from now.44,45
