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Sale & Use of Cord Blood

The sale and use of newborn cord blood has increased in recent years; however, high costs still intimidate many potential donors. According to Cigna Health Care, more than 7000 cord blood transplants have taken place, and with options such as public banking, the number of transplants may increase.

  1. Importance

    • Blood stem cells offer the same benefits as a bone marrow transplant. Found in bone marrow, these cells are responsible for creating blood. In addition, these cells exist in the umbilical cord of newborns. Linked with regenerating the immune system, these cells provide help and hope for a variety of diseases.

    Benefits

    • Cord blood's potential has sparked a large amount of research in the past 20 years. Diseases such as cancer -- specifically leukemia -- and multiple sclerosis all can be treated with cord blood. In addition, adult stem cells may be difficult to obtain, so cord blood can be an appropriate substitute.

    Types

    • The American Association of Blood Banks and the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapy recognize two types of donations: the family donation and the public donation. Free to the parents, a public donation belongs to the institution to which it is donated, and that organization can determine how it's used. On the other hand, a family donation costs parents between $1000 - $2000, and the parents decide how and when the cord blood is used.

    Expert Insight

    • The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation encourages expectant parents to donate their baby's cord blood for public banking, which will make it available for life-saving treatments. The Society discourages private family banking, as its probability of use on the intended child is 0.04 - 0.001 percent in the first 20 years of life. The only exception to this would be if a family member of the baby suffers from a disease where cord blood could be beneficial.

    Considerations

    • Though cord blood banking has many benefits, it can be costly because of the need for storage. However, these costs may be outweighed by the fact that, if needed, patients won't have to worry about a waiting list and ethnic differences aren't an issue. Easier to achieve and painless to obtain, cord blood cells may be worth the cost to many parents.

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