Stem cells: The building blocks underlying a new era in medicine.
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Banking your newborn's umbilical cord blood stem cells can be one of the smartest, farthest-reaching decisions you can make when it comes to the health and wellness of your newborn, and to your own peace of mind. Knowing you've taken steps to safely store these incredible, life-affirming cells - and that they're just a phone call away - can put any parent's mind at ease. |
The body's "master cells."
Umbilical cord blood stem cells can be used in transplants to treat a variety of diseases, including leukemia, sickle cell disease, and metabolic disorders. In fact, cord blood stem cells are used to treat over 70 diseases, including several forms of cancer. In the future, this number is very likely to increase given the number of clinical trials and research being performed using cord blood stem cells.
Furthermore, stem cells from your baby's cord blood are free from the ethical questions and moral controversy that has been part of our decade-long national debate over stem cells.
Another benefit of storing your child's cord blood is the potential for those stem cells to be used by other family members. The success of cord blood transplantation depends on the tissue compatibility (human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching) between the donor and the transplant recipient.* Thus, when the donor is also the recipient, a perfect match is guaranteed and no rejection will occur. Among immediate family members, the chance of your child's cord blood stem cells matching a member of your family is much higher than for someone outside the family.
* The patient and donor must match over at least 10 of 12 tissue types called human leukocyte antigens (HLA), or 83% HLA match. By comparison, medical outcomes are just as good with cord blood that has a 4 out of 6 or 67% HLA match. (Reference: V Rocha, et al, 2000; NEJM 342:1846)
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