Health
Cord Blood Banking To Facilitate New Breakthroughs in Cancer Research
An umbilical cord connects the baby and the mother before the birth of the child. This cord contains precious cells, which could prevent the child from an unfortunate illness. Cord blood banking is the simplest way to preserve these cells. You need to preserve it at the time of your delivery. Nowadays, this procedure is carried out in almost all hospitals.
These cells are effective in preventing diseases like
- Lymphoma
- Leukemia
- Breast cancer
- Aplastic anemia
- Cancer
- Blood diseases
- Heredity or genetic conditions
- Hodkin’s disease
- AISS
- Lupus
These diseases are fatal and can cause the death of a person. Hence, it becomes essential to preserve the cells, if one desires to have immunity towards these diseases.
Storage of precious cells by private institutions and banks
Many private banks store these cells for the donors and their family members. The cells that are stored in public banks could be used by all. Thus, the donor gets less chance to use them. According to the regulations of the bank, parents need to contact the bank 34 weeks prior to the delivery. Various cord banks are available online as well as offline. If you desire to donate your samples in the cord banks, you need to do a quick search. The process of donation is quite simple.
Charges of a private bank
Public banks charge an annual maintenance fee of $100. Besides this, you need to pay $2,000 monthly to preserve their rights. Other charges include that of courier services of blood samples and collection kit. Although the rates of these banks are high, they guarantee to store your cells protectively.
How do nonprofit organizations store the cells?
Some of the nonprofit banks have also come forward to store these samples. About 75% of private nonprofit banks have been developed, which work in the public interest. Once you store the cells, the bank will become the authorized owner of them. Further, researchers or doctors could use them for their purposes.
Many profit banks have also been established. They sell the free stored samples to cord blood units for research. Research public banks or RPBs were set up in early 2000. They store the samples for research purposes only.
Some of the advantages of storing the cord blood are mentioned below-
- Neither mother nor the child will experience any pain while collecting these samples.
- These cells prove to be a suitable match for the family members and relatives. The recipient’s body readily accepts these cells without any rejection.
Why there is a need to select a good cord bank?
You need to select an accredited storage center for preserving these cells. Before selecting a center, it is advisable to check their previous records. Methods used in storing the cells and condition of the storage reflect the success in transplants. Hence, it is advisable to inquire about the methods used by the company in the storing process. Before storing the samples, the hospitals have to approve them.
While selecting a private bank, you could take into consideration the following factors.
Location – You can find these banks in every corner of the world. You need to find one, which is near your home. Many delivery centers or hospitals associate themselves with these banks. You could ask your doctor about the best cord bank that will store the samples efficiently.
Experience of the people – Today, many people store their cord samples in the banks. Try to gather their experience before storing your precious samples. Further, take guidance from your family members, elders, and friends.