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| Why Store Cord Blood? |
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Why store Cord Blood Stem Cells?
Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells are the earliest
stem cells that we can obtain. Because they are
from the newborn they are pristine and have not
been subject to wear and tear and exposure to toxins,
sunlight or viruses.
Umbilical cord blood stem cells are immature stem
cells, which has certain advantages. They are easier
to tissue match than stem cells from bone marrow,
which is because they are more tolerant of tissue
mismatch due |
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to the immunological
immaturity of the cells. This also means that there
is less risk of rejection or of a more chronic type
of rejection called Graft versus Host Disease (GVHD).
Because it is easier to tissue match the cord blood,
this means there are more potential recipients for
the stem cells. Put very simply, each person has
6 tissue markers and with bone marrow transplants
at least 5 or these markers need to be matched,
however with cord blood stem cells at least 4 out
of the 6 need to be matched, meaning there are more
people who can be matched to the stem cells for
transplant. Cord blood stem cells also have more
growth potential than stem cells from bone marrow
and have a higher rate of engraftment.
Collection of cord blood is risk-free and pain-free
to the mother and baby. Obtaining bone marrow stem
cells have the risk of a general anaesthetic and
of the surgical procedure. Umbilical Cord Blood
Stem Cells are taken at the time of birth and are
already in storage rather than needing to be taken
from a donor or a sick patient.
One of the biggest problems faced by patients needing
a stem cell transplant is getting a tissue match.
Stem Cells from cord blood are a perfect match for
the baby and have a 25% chance of being a perfect
match for a sibling of the same parents. There is
also a good chance that the stem cells will be an
acceptable match for siblings, parents and even
cousins, as well as a possibility of matching other
family members and non related people.
Why should we collect and store our Baby’s
Stem Cells for family use?
The answers to questions 4 and 5 above, give part
of the answer to this question. As well as the advantages
of cord blood stem cells and the fact that they
are easier to match, studies have shown that there
is a much greater success of the stem cell transplant
being successful when the stem cells are from a
related donor. There is also a significantly smaller
chance of developing Graft versus Host disease (GVHD)
when the transplant is from a related donor.
What is the difference between Family Storage
with Cellsense and Donating Cord Blood to the Public
Cord Blood Bank (Auscord)?
If you do not choose family storage for your baby’s
stem cells, we encourage you to donate to the public
cord blood bank. When you donate the cord blood
it goes into a public bank and the tissue typing
results will be put into a worldwide database to
help doctors looking for stem cells to transplant
to find a tissue match.
However there are only certain hospitals that collect
donated stem cells from cord blood, there are restricted
hours for collection and stringent protocol for
donors to be acceptable. Therefore there is no guarantee
that your cord blood stem cells would be collected.
If they are collected, they do not belong to you
or your family and if someone in your family needed
stem cells a search would be conducted as for any
other person. There is no link to you and the stored
stem cells and they may have already been used for
somebody else.
Can the Stem Cells be used by other Family
Members?
The stem cells belong to the child. However the
parents have guardianship and consent for use of
the stem cells. Therefore they can consent to them
being used for other family members.
However the Stem Cells need to be tissue matched
to the person receiving them. As discussed previously
the stem cells are a perfect match for the child
and have a 25% of being a perfect match for siblings
of the same parents. They also have a good chance
of being a viable match with siblings, parents and
even cousins.
Can the Stem Cells be used for other people?
Only if the family wants to donate them to somebody,
who is tissue matched to the stem cells. The cells
belong to the child and the parents have guardianship
and consent of the cells. They are not able to be
donated or used for research.
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| ©
Copyright 2006 Cell Sense Pty Ltd - - - |
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