What is Cord Blood Banking?

Cord blood banking is the process in which stem cell rich blood is extracted from the umbilical cord just after birth. The blood is then packaged up in a collection kit and transported to a cord blood bank for preparation and storage.
Read more about: Banking Stem Cells

What is a Stem Cell

Possible Dangers of Cord Blood Banking

Some researchers have claimed that withdrawing the umbilical cord blood from a baby at the time of birth can actually have a detrimental effect on the child, with childhood disease made more likely due to the relatively high blood volume taken in relation to  the baby’s total blood volume.  An average of 108ml is present in the cord blood, and a baby’s total blood is typically 300ml.  The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend the storing of cord blood in a private facility for later use by the child themselves.  This is due to the fact that a disease the child later goes on to develop, such as leukaemia, most likely has a premalignant presence in the cord blood cells too, making it ineffective for such treatment.  They do, however, recommend storage if a full sibling has a disease which may be treatable using a cord blood transplantation.

Cord Blood Donations

Public cord blood bank donations are encouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics although parents ought to be informed that their donation does not in any way guarantee their own future use of the donated cord blood.  Genetic testing for chromosomal abnormalities, and screening for infectious disease will also apply to the cord blood, with the patients informed of any abnormalities found.  Cord blood-derived embryonic-like stem cells (CBEs) which are banked may be matched to potential patients and used in a similar manner to other transplanted tissues and blood.  CBEs are becoming increasingly investigated as their derivation negates a major ethical roadblock when using embryonic stem cells (ESCs).  Whether cord blood stem cells have similar problems to embryonic stem cells in terms of potential for tumor growth, and whether they have the same advantageous plasticity as ESCs is still under some debate.  Legislation in various US states is being enacted to keep up with advances in medical biotechnology, but as fast as the laws are made there are researchers discovering new potential applications and methods which uncover loopholes in the law.

Next Read About: Treatments using Cord Blood Cells