So, you’re going to have a baby—congratulations! Now get ready to make lots of decisions! Should you name the baby after great-uncle Arthur, or cousin Gerald on your mother’s side? Among all the decisions about breastfeeding, infant formulas, and disposable diapers, you can add one more to your list: should you privately bank your baby’s umbilical cord blood, publicly donate it, or discard it altogether?
Umbilical cord blood is the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta after the baby is born. The umbilical cord is the tube that connects the placenta to the developing fetus during pregnancy, carrying nutrients and removing waste products. Typically the cord is clamped and cut about an inch or so from the baby’s belly button, and both the cord and placenta are discarded as waste. Researchers now know that both the umbilical cord and placenta contain stem cells that may be of significant value. Collecting these stem cells is simple, non-invasive, painless, and done immediately after your baby is delivered.
As a parent, you have three options: 1) you may privately bank, which means you pay a company to collect, process, and store your baby’s stem cells for you and you own them; 2) you can donate, which means that your baby’s stem cells may be transplanted into another person or used for research purposes since you no longer have any claim to them; or 3) you may simply choose to discard them. If you make no decision at all, these potentially lifesaving cells will be discarded.
Before deciding, you should understand the potential value of your baby’s stem cells for him or her and for your family. Stem cell transplants have been used to treat over eighty diseases, which is why private banking of umbilical cord blood is becoming more popular, particularly if your family has a genetic predisposition toward any of these diseases. Cord blood stem cells have been used in transplants to treat metabolic and immune disorders. Cord blood has also been used to treat sickle cell anemia and other forms of blood disease, such as leukemia.
Very recently (April of 2006), exciting new technology has been introduced that permits the collection of stem cells from the placenta. Stem cells collected from the placenta (called placental-derived stem cells), can supplement those stem cells collected from cord blood. This increases the total number of stem cells available in the event a transplant is needed; generally speaking, the greater the number of stem cells transplanted, the better the outcome. Preliminary data from pre-clinical studies suggest that the combined use of placental-derived and cord blood stem cells may result in the transplanted cells “taking hold” better than cord blood alone.
During the last six years, the scientists developing this technology have researched various methods for recovering stem cells from the placenta. Amazingly, they have successfully generated heart, nerve, bone, cartilage, and other types of special ized cells in the laboratory from placental stem cells! These researchers believe that placental-derived stem cells may someday be used to replace damaged cells with healthy ones. This could potentially lead to treatments for such common disorders as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, bone and joint diseases, spinal cord injury, and many other debilitating conditions that currently have limited treatment options.
If you believe that stem cells are too valuable to discard, the question becomes: “Should you bank privately, or donate?” There are advantages and disadvantages to both options. Donating costs nothing and may help to save a life or further important stem cell research. However, once they are donated, you have no claim to your baby’s stem cells.
Private banking means you own your baby’s stem cells, which will always be a perfect match for your child. Should a family member (e.g. great-uncle Arthur or cousin Gerald, or more likely a sibling) ever need a transplant, research shows that a transplant from a related donor provides a better outcome than a transplant from an unrelated donor, which supports the concept of banking privately. Perhaps the greatest advantage of private banking is the future potential for regenerative applications, such as the placental-derived stem cells described earlier. Current clinical research in diabetes and heart disease uses the patient’s own stem cells, so that the body doesn’t reject them. That means that, should these medical breakthroughs become a reality, having one’s own stem cells banked (i.e. private banking) could be a significant advantage.
The downside of private banking is the cost. Prices vary, but the initial cost is around $1,700 to have your baby’s cord blood collected, processed, and stored (with an additional charge for processing of the placenta). Most companies periodically offer special promotions and many have payment plans that bring the cost down to approximately $50 per month. There are also annual storage fees of approximately $125 per year, which some companies waive if they offer a referral program.
Some folks view private banking as an insurance policy, hoping they’ll never need the cells, but banking “just in case.” This perspective can make private banking seem expensive, but worth every penny if the cells are ever needed. Others view private banking as an investment in their family’s future, given scientific advances and the potential for exciting treatment breakthroughs for very common diseases. This perspective can make private banking look like a bargain; after all, “must have” jeans, sneakers, video games, and all the latest trends your child will want can quickly add up to much more than $1,700!
So what is right for you? If the future potential of stem cells to treat heart disease and diabetes sounds promising, call a company that offers the placental-derived stem cell service for more information. To get the most objective advice on cord blood banking, call a company that offers private banking and accepts donations. Then if private banking is affordable for you, you should consider it. If not, donating can help someone else and/or further stem cell research.