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1. The Benefits of Storing Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells
Storing cord blood is often compared to purchasing biological insurance for your child and family. If your child ever suffers from certain medical conditions, the stored stem cells can be used for treatment.
The stem cells from your child's umbilical cord can also be used to treat siblings (with a 25% match for full compatibility and a 50% match for partial compatibility) or other family members, and even individuals in the community if a genetic match is found.
Currently, stem cells from cord blood can be used to treat and support over 80 medical conditions, including leukemia, lymphoma, blood cancers, bone marrow failure, autoimmune diseases (such as diabetes), and genetic disorders (like anemia and sickle cell disease). Additionally, these stem cells can differentiate into various other types of tissue such as muscle (skeletal, cardiac), liver, kidney, brain, lung, skin, and pancreatic cells. This makes cord blood stem cells valuable not only for treating blood disorders but also for addressing conditions like heart damage, spinal cord injuries, and brain trauma.
Stem cells can be collected from three sources: peripheral blood, bone marrow, and umbilical cord blood. However, collecting stem cells from peripheral blood or bone marrow requires more complex and invasive techniques and is more expensive, which is why cord blood is the preferred source. Moreover, stem cells from cord blood are considered more primitive than those from peripheral blood or bone marrow, meaning they are more adaptable, develop faster, and produce healthier blood cells.
2. How Umbilical Cord Blood is Collected
Our Stem Cell Bank, in partnership with many major public and private hospitals, facilitates the collection of umbilical cord blood. After birth, our team will directly collect the cord blood from your baby. The sample is then transported to our Stem Cell Bank for processing and long-term storage in liquid nitrogen to maintain its quality and ensure prolonged preservation.
Storing stem cells from umbilical cord blood provides the best source for future use, offering a perfect match without the risk of immune rejection. Furthermore, if a family member needs stem cell treatment, the chances of a match with the child’s stored cells are much higher than with stem cells from unrelated individuals.
3. What is the Cost of Umbilical Cord Blood Collection?
Things to keep in mind when deciding to donate or store umbilical cord blood:
- Donating cord blood to a public bank helps diversify the blood supply and can potentially assist others in need.
- If you have a child who may benefit from stem cell treatment, storing the cord blood of their siblings is highly recommended.
- Be sure to understand the full costs involved, including the collection fees and annual storage charges, before choosing a private stem cell bank.
- Storing one sample of cord blood for 10 years: 29,000,000 VND
- Storing one sample of cord blood for 15 years: 45,000,000 VND
- Storing one sample of cord blood for 20 years: 60,000,000 VND
- Storing one sample of cord blood for 25 years: 65,000,000 VND
4. Why Store Umbilical Cord Blood?
The umbilical cord and placenta are vital in supplying nutrients to the fetus during pregnancy. Umbilical cord blood is the blood collected from the umbilical cord and placenta immediately after birth and the cord is cut. In the past, the umbilical cord and placenta were considered medical waste and discarded after delivery. However, medical research has shown that umbilical cord blood is rich in hematopoietic stem cells and has been successfully used in the treatment and support of various health conditions.
In fact, hematopoietic stem cells from umbilical cord blood have similar applications to those obtained from bone marrow and peripheral blood. Therefore, storing cord blood is essentially preserving a valuable source of stem cells for future medical treatments and cell-related disorders.
5. Who Can Register to Store Umbilical Cord Blood for Their Child?
A mother who is over 18 years old and has full civil capacity can register to store her child's umbilical cord blood at the Stem Cell Bank, Central Children's Hospital.
To participate in the cord blood stem cell storage service, the mother should visit the Stem Cell Consultation Room at the Stem Cell Bank Department of the hospital when the pregnancy reaches 30 weeks or more to complete the registration and paperwork.
6. Benefits and Limitations
Advantages of Collecting Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood:
- Umbilical cord blood stem cells can be used to treat more patients compared to bone marrow stem cells. Additionally, the compatibility rate is higher, and the likelihood of rejection is lower compared to bone marrow transplants.
- Umbilical cord blood is easier to collect than bone marrow. Bone marrow extraction carries certain risks and can be painful for the donor.
- Once collected, cord blood is frozen and stored for future use, while bone marrow must be used immediately after collection.
- Stem cells from umbilical cord blood can be used to strengthen the immune system during cancer treatments, a capability that bone marrow stem cells lack.
Limitations of Collecting Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood:
- Umbilical cord blood contains fewer hematopoietic stem cells compared to bone marrow. One unit of cord blood is generally sufficient for treating patients weighing around 20-30 kg.
- For larger children and adults, multiple units of cord blood or additional stem cells from other sources may be required to ensure an adequate treatment dose.
