The Facts

Cord-blood banking saves the blood from a newborn baby's placenta and umbilical cord and freezes it for possible future medical use. Cord blood is a rich source of stem cells, undifferentiated cells that can potentially be used to treat a variety of medical conditions. If it is not banked, it is treated as medical waste.

Function

Cord blood can be used to treat a variety of medical conditions, such as cancers of the blood (leukemia or lymphoma), anemia, including sickle cell anemia, and a handful of rare but serious metabolic disorders, such as Krabbe Disease and Sanfilippo Syndrome, both of which are otherwise fatal. It is most often used as an alternative to a bone-marrow transplant.

Considerations

Private cord-blood banking has become popular in recent years, however, neither the American Academy of Pediatrics nor the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists endorse private cord-blood banking, because they believe the odds of a patient's needing privately banked cord blood are too remote to justify the fees involved. However, if there is a family history of certain diseases that can be treated with saved cord blood, the risk versus cost analysis may shift significantly.

Potential

There is hope that stem cell therapy soon might be used to treat pediatric brain injuries and neural disorders, such as cerebral palsy, and Type I diabetes. Research continues for other therapeutic uses for stem cells.

Alternative

Cord blood stored in a public bank is available to anyone who is a suitable tissue match. Public banks acquire cord blood via donation and do not charge a fee. However, public banks are not well funded, and this option is not available everywhere.

Warning

It is rare that a child's own cord blood can be utilized for his treatment, because the same defect that causes the illness would be found in the cord blood.

Source:

WebMD.com: Banking Your Baby's Cord Blood

BabyCenter.com: Banking Your Baby's Cord Blood - An Overview