| For most parents, the process
of collecting, processing and preserving their newborn’s cord blood
is a new one. The more you learn about cord blood banking, the more
you’ll realize how simple it is to do. Below is valuable information
about banking your baby’s cord blood. Cord Blood Collection
Cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord immediately after a
baby’s birth, but generally before the placenta has been delivered.
The moment of delivery is the only opportunity to harvest a
newborn’s stem cells. There is absolutely no pain or risk to the
mother or child during the collection process since the blood is
taken from the cord once it has been clamped and cut. And collection
is safe for both vaginal and cesarean deliveries.
To collect cord blood, a healthcare
provider uses a U-Cord® Collection Kit supplied by Cryo-Cell Cord
Blood Bank —so advance arrangements will need to be made. Cord blood
is drawn from the umbilical cord into the blood collection bag that
comes in the kit. The mother’s blood will also be collected at this
time, to be tested for certain infectious diseases required by
regulations. Both the baby’s and mother’s blood are then packaged in
the special shipping materials provided. Lastly, parents call the
courier service designated by Cryo-Cell to arrange for pick-up and
delivery of the cord blood to Cryo-Cell’s laboratory.
Many healthcare professionals charge
a fee for the procedure of collecting umbilical cord blood. So,
discuss this procedure with them prior to enrolling in our service
to verify their agreement to perform the collection.
Cord Blood Processing
Within 36 to 48 hours of collection, the blood is processed, tested,
separated and its stem cells cryogenically stored (frozen). But the
process is by no means simple.
First, an affiliated laboratory that
is CLIA-certified and FDA-registered tests the mother’s blood for
syphilis, hepatitis, HTLV, HIV and CMV. This testing regimen
determines the infectious disease status, and allows the cord blood
to potentially be used for family use, not just autologous (self)
use. In the event that any of the infectious disease screening tests
are positive, confirmatory tests will be automatically performed.
The cost for initial screening tests is included in your enrollment
fee. Each cord
blood sample is also tested to confirm the absence of
microbiological contamination.
Then, Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank
utilizes a hydroxyethyl starch (Hespan®) method to reduce the number
of red blood cells, isolating the nucleated white blood cell
fraction, which contains the stem cells. These cells are then mixed
with DMSO, the cryoprotectant, and Dextran, and stored in a special,
compartmentalized cryobag. Simply put, Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank
uses a medically proven, scientifically advanced process to prepare
your newborn’s stem cells for storage.
Note that human tissue (HLA) typing
is not routinely performed at the time of processing, but would be
necessary to confirm compatibility if the stem cells are being
considered for use in treatment where the recipient is not also the
donor. HLA typing may be performed via blood testing as an
insurance-reimbursable cost in a typical physician-ordered
transplant work-up.
Cryogenic Cord Blood Storage
To store our clients’ precious stem cells, Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank
uses special, compartmentalized cryobags. The bag includes a 20ml
and 5ml sample and three segments for testing, and is over-wrapped
for added protection. A technique called "controlled-rate freezing"
is used to prepare the cells for long-term storage. Then the bag is
housed in a protective cassette and placed in liquid nitrogen dewars
for cryogenic (frozen) preservation. Our storage conditions are
closely monitored for security and temperature. Once the stem cells
are stored, the parents, as the child’s guardians, have control over
their use and disposal. Initially, no stem cells will be released by
Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank without the parents' consent. Once the
child reaches legal age, however, control passes to him or her.
It is believed that stem cells can
be successfully stored long term, perhaps decades, in a
cryopreserved form, though sufficient years have not passed to prove
the absolute length of time. However, a recent study of cord blood
at Indiana University demonstrated its viability after 15 years of
cryogenic storage. What’s more, bone marrow has been stored for
decades and has remained viable—there is no reason to believe that
the same would not be true of cord blood. |
