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Clarifying the Meaning of Stem Cell Preservation

May 13, 2010 By admin

Clarifying the Meaning of Stem Cell Preservation

Mention the term stem cell preservation to a crowd and you could be met with any number of responses anywhere from the admittedly uninformed, to the up-to-the-minute reader of the latest headlines on the subject.  Mention the term cord blood to the same group and most folks would respond by saying, “What”?Clarifying Meanting Stem Cell Preservation How ironic that one of the easiest ways to contribute to the health and well-being of society is still largely unknown. How wonderful that the life giving gift of stem cell preservation is one that begins with the miracle of birth.

Stem Cell Preservation – Defined

Stem cell preservation is the gathering and saving of nutrient rich stem cells that are present in the body, especially the umbilical cord at birth. One immediate question you might have is why are stem cells so valuable? Importantly, stem cells are highly adaptable and can readily replicate into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Red blood cells are important because they carry oxygen to all the cells in the body; white blood cells are responsible for fighting infection; and platelets aid in clotting when the body is injured. These components are the basic elements of healthy blood and a strong immune system.

Stem Cell Preservation – Going to the Source

After knowing what “stem cell preservation” is and why it is valuable, we ask the next question – where do we find stem cells? Modern medicine names three primary sources: the fertilized embryo, within bone marrow, and within the blood of an umbilical cord. In the first instance, there’s a great deal of controversy from an ethical standpoint.  In the second there is a reasonably high level of risk, and in the third there are no ethical concerns and no real risk to mother or newborn.

For years, bone marrow transplants have been a common practice yielding somewhat inconsistent results in the treatment for certain kinds of cancers and leukemia. The number one challenge of this treatment, though, is the need for donor and recipient to be an exact marrow match. On the other hand, with cord blood treatments, the need for an exact match does not exist as the stem cells drawn from cord blood are more adaptable. This unique usefulness places a high level of importance on effective stem cell preservation.

Cord Blood – The Simplest Source

Stem cell preservation as it relates to umbilical cord blood is fairly simple, albeit somewhat futuristic sounding. Shortly after the birth of your newborn, his or her umbilical cord is clamped and cut; blood is drawn and transported to a lab where it is cryogenically frozen at temperatures in the neighborhood of -190 degrees. There is no risk to mom and baby and the transfer to a state of preservation is safe and exact.

Currently, stem cells are for the most part utilized in transplant medicine to regenerate a patient’s blood and immune system after they have been treated with chemotherapy and/or radiation to destroy cancer cells. Other more dynamic treatments are envisioned for the future as cord blood holds a very important place in stem cell preservation. Mother’s and their newborns are contributing to one of the most promising advances in medical technology everyday with the simple and safe methods of stem cell preservation.

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The Value of Cord Blood Storage

April 7, 2010 By admin

The Value of Cord Blood Storage

With all the excitement over a new pregnancy, parents reading a pamphlet on cord blood storage may not be as high on their list as, say, decorating the nursery.Value of Cord Blood Storage However, cord blood storage, also know as stem cell preservation, marks one of the most exciting ways that the new life about to enter the world will impact those around it. New parents have a chance to use cord blood storage to save lives.

Since 1990, doctors have used the ability to gather and preserve some of the ultra-rich stem cells that thrive in the blood of a newborn’s umbilical cord. The process known as cord blood storage is quite simply getting umbilical blood to a lab after drawing it from the severed umbilical cord at birth and putting it in to a deep freeze. The cord blood storage, or cryogenic process is so effective that cells remain viable for more than 20 years and may show minimal deterioration.

The “good part” of the cord blood storage story

Stem cells are among the most dynamic and adaptable cells in the entire body, and they can be found in a baby’s umbilical cord blood. Once retrieved from cord blood storage (the state of being cryogenically frozen), the cells may be utilized in a number of ways.

Currently, stem cells are most commonly utilized in transplant medicine to regenerate a patient’s blood and immune system after the patient has been treated with chemotherapy and/or radiation to destroy cancer cells. The list of diseases where stem cells can assist with the healing process is lengthy, and supports the value of cord blood storage a many times over. The list includes leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, Aplastic Anemia, Sickle Cell Anemia, various other cancers, blood diseases, hereditary/genetic conditions and immune system disorders. In addition, current research holds significant promise for improving the treatment of some of the most common diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s with the stem cells preserved during cord blood storage.

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Cord Blood Options

February 17, 2010 By admin

Cord Blood Options

When my husband and I found out we were expecting our second child this Thanksgiving, the first thing we did was jump online and sign up on all the baby sites for free baby things.   Pretty soon our mail box was being filled with all sorts of coupons and advertisements, among them, companies offering to bank our baby’s cord blood.
cord_blood_options
Cord blood, for those who may not know, is the blood that remains in the umbical cord and the placenta following birth.   We all know that the placenta and umbical cord play an extremely important role during pregnancy.  It is the life line for our babies.  After delivery the blood in the umbical cord could save not only your baby’s life if need be, but others too.   The reason is because of the extensive amount of stem cells found in the blood that can be used in the fight against leukemia, lymphoma, and other life-threatening diseases.    Usually, these cells work best when they are used in the patients own body but you do not have to store cord blood just for your baby.  There are many options.

First, you can store the blood in a private family cord blood bank.  This is where the blood is collected and stored should your child or matching family member ever need it.  While it gives some parent’s peace of mind that there is some form of treatment available should something ever happen to their children, there is a cost.  First, some companies charge anywhere in the vicinity of $1700 just to collect the blood.  Second, the blood is stored long term using cyopreservation and there is usually a yearly fee for storage.   Some companies offer payment plans to help out.

You can also donate to a public bank.   Donating your baby’s cord blood is not going to cost you anything, and you could be saving someone’s life.   In order to do this, find out if your hospital collects the umbilical cord blood donations and work with them to find out if you are eligible to donate.  In order to be eligible to donate you must be at least 18 years of age, HIV negative and have no risk to HIV or AIDS.  You also must be cancer free and not a diabetic.  If you were diagnosed with gestational diabetes during your pregnancy you should still be able to donate, but if you had any tattoo or piercing with in the last 12 months you are not eligible.

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Cryopreservation-How Your Baby’s Cord Blood Is Stored

January 8, 2010 By admin

Cryopreservation-How Your Baby’s Cord Blood Is Stored

Most cord blood banking companies state that your baby’s cord blood will be stored in a state of the art cryoprservation center.  This is the number one choice of most cord blood storage banks.  It is the method that protects and preserves your baby’s stem cells should they ever be needed.    Some of you might be wondering what cryopreservation really is.   It is the process where cells are preserved by cooling them to low sub-zero temperatures.  This temperature is typically 77K or -196 degrees C.   At these low temperatures there is no biological activity.   In fact, the biochemical reactions that cause cell death are stopped ensuring that the cells are still of good quality when the time comes for them to be used.cryopreservation_blood_stored

There are some risks though during cryoprservation.  The solution that is used during cryopreservation can sometimes cause damage to cells.  Solutions that have a high salt concentration can be very damaging to stem cells.   Other factors that can cause damage to cells are extracellular ice formation or ice forming on the outside of the cell.  When tissues are cooled, water will sometime seep out of the cells and ice form in its place.   Too much of this ice can cause mechanical damage due to crushing.   You also have to think about dehydration.   The migration of the water that seeps out of the cells and causes extracellular ice formation is also the cause of cellular dehydration.   The cells are losing water, and the stress that is caused on the cell is often damaging.     You have to consider ice forming on the inside of cells also.  While some tissues can tolerate some extracellular ice, intracellular ice is always fatal to cells.

So how can cord blood banks prevent this when storing your baby’s cord blood?  One way to prevent it is through vitrification.  This provides the benefits of cryopreservation without any damage due to ice crystals.  How vitrification works is with the addition of cryoprotectants.  These cryoprotentants act like antifreeze and lower the freezing temperature.  In artificial cryopreservation, the solute must penetrate the membrane of the cell in order to achieve increased viscosity and slow down the freezing temperature inside the cells.

Cryopreservation has also been used in preserving embryos for couples who have used IVF or invitro fertilization and it works the same way as it does for storing cord blood.   Knowing just how they will keep your baby’s blood will aid you in making the decision that is right for you.

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Collecting Cord Blood after Delivery

December 17, 2009 By admin

Collecting Cord Blood after Delivery

Whether you have decided to store your baby’s cord blood at a private storage bank or whether you have decided to donate your newborn’s cord blood, there are some steps you need to take before your bundle of joy is due.   Researching private blood storage banks and finding out if your hospital participates in any donor programs should be added to an expectant parent’s to do list before the 30th week. collecting_cord_blood_after_delivery

Whether you are storing or donating, you must make sure to receive the cord blood collection kit from the chosen cord blood bank.  If you are storing your newborn’s blood privately, you will be charged for this service.  If you are donating your baby’s blood, some hospitals might already keep a cord blood collection kit on hand, so may not have to bring one with you to your delivery.

With a normal vaginal delivery, the cord blood is collected before the placenta is delivered.   The umbilical cord is clamped on both sides and then an experienced obstetrician or a nurse will unclamp one side of the umbilical cord and insert either a small tube or a small needle into the umbilical vein to collect the blood.  Other times, the blood is dripped into either a vial or a special collection bag.   After this is collected, a needle could also be placed into the placenta to collect more blood and cells.  These cells will be in their own containers and properly identified.

During a cesarean or C-section birth, the collection process is a little more complicated but still causes no pain to the mother or to the baby.   During C-sections, a doctor’s main focus is the mother and baby.  After all, this is a major surgery and there are a number of complications that can arise.   It is only after the baby has been safely delivered, along with the placenta and the mother’s uterus has been sutured that the cord blood can be collected.   Usually though less blood is collected when the baby is delivered via C-section.   That can sometimes be a problem, because less blood collected also means fewer stem cells collected and stored.   Some doctors feel that there is too big of a risk of contamination by collecting cord blood after a C-section, but for the most part most public and private cord storage banks have taken the proper steps to reduce the risk of contamination by providing sterile kit components.

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Collecting Cord Blood Stem Cells: What You MUST Know

October 7, 2009 By admin

Collecting Cord Blood Stem Cells: What You MUST Know

Stem cells are precursor cells that can differentiate into mature and specialized adult cells of different types. Stem cells are very helpful in the treatment of various diseases of blood and immune system origin, including many cancers.Collecting Cord Blood Stem Cells Need To Know

Adult stem cells can be obtained from bone marrow and from the cord blood (blood in the umbilical cord at the time of delivery of the child) and the placenta (sac that holds the baby during pregnancy). The obtained cord blood and the placenta is then processed and preserved in liquid nitrogen to be used if the need arises at any point of time. The stored stem cells remain viable once preserved, for over 20 years.

Collecting the cord blood stem cells for preservation has to be planned well in advance before the delivery of the child. A stem cell bank is identified that is close to the place where the delivery is supposed to happen (unless courier service is arranged). Once such a bank has been found and all the initial formalities are completed, the cord blood bank must be contacted close to the time of the delivery (around 48 hours before) when blood from the mother is drawn and sent to test for any communicable diseases that may be present.

Collecting the cord blood stem cells is performed by the doctors delivering of the child. It is important to collect a sufficient amount of cord blood (around 75 ml at least) for it to contain an adequate amount of stem cells for preservation. The procedure of collecting the cord blood stem cells is conducted when the umbilical vein is still pulsating.

A special collection bag designed for the purpose of collecting the cord blood stem cells is used for this purpose. This bag has a connected needle at one end that is inserted into the umbilical vein, and the bag is lowered down to allow the cord blood to flow into the bag. This is held in place until enough blood has been collected in the bag. If the blood flow stops before adequate collection is complete, the needle is removed and re-inserted to resume the blood flow until the cord is totally devoid of any more blood after which the needle is removed.

Once the collection of the cord blood stem cells and the placenta is completed, the specialized containers are then transported in exact temperature conditions suited for this purpose to the cell bank where they are disinfected, processed, preservative added and then slowly cooled to reach a temperature of -190 degrees Celsius at which it is stored.

Collecting the cord blood stem cells is a very simple procedure that takes just around 2-5 minutes, but it is very important for the professional handling the cord blood to take care that they don’t contaminate the specimen as it may affect the viability and storage of the stem cells.

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The Benefits of Cord Blood Banking

September 28, 2009 By admin

The Benefits of Cord Blood Banking

The joy of parenthood can never be equaled. That’s why parents go the distance to give their children better lives, excellent education and most importantly, enhanced security in terms of health.

Cord Blood Banking can provide that security. It gives parents that sense of protection and peace of mind that somehow, in cases when cord blood is needed to save the life of their children or even their own, it is readily available.cord_blood_banking_benefits

Cord blood is the blood in the umbilical cord, which at present, is being preserved cryogenically from birth, when authorized by parents of a newly born child. It contains stem cells, which can be used for transplantation similar to a bone marrow transplant.

Stem cells are sometimes referred to as the chief cells because they are the ones responsible for creating new tissues and in the organs of a human body.

The stem cells found in cord blood, known as haemopoietic stem cells (HSC) are the foundation of human blood, which contains the immune system of the body. These stem cells naturally replicate into:

• red blood cells
• white blood cells
• platelets

The human body generates these specialized cells through the stem cells and balances them according to a person’s body needs. In some cases of abnormality, one of these cells may be too much or too little for a body to function effectively. That is why there is a need for blood transfusion in certain diseases or in severe accidents because the human body cannot naturally generate the needed cells.

Stem cells can also be found in bone marrow and in the peripheral blood — the blood circulating inside an adult human. These stem cells’ ability to generate or differentiate into the needed cells is not as efficient as the ability of the stem cells found in the cord blood.

This is the reason why cord blood banking came into existence. Before the establishment of cord blood banks, the umbilical cord and the placenta of a newly born were just discarded.

Cord blood banking attracted attention in the late 80’s, when in 1988, the stem cells found in cord blood, saved a boy’s life through stem cell transplantation. At present, nearly 10,000 stem cell transplantations have been done in the US alone.

Although a reported 2% of transplantations fail, statistics show that 98% succeed.  Failures often are attributed to the condition of GVHD (Graft vs. Host Disease) whereby the introduced stem cells are “rejected” by the host body.

Moreover, proteins found in the human body known, as Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) can also cause such failure. HLA determine the compatibility of donor’s tissue with that of the patient. However, these are rare cases.

Thus, cord blood banking facilitates for the convenience of having a ready supply of cord blood. Whether it is a public, private non-profit or a commercial cord blood bank, they all have the same goal, to provide a steady supply of cord blood to people who are in dire need of this precious discovery of humankind.

As the number of people, especially parents are now aware how valuable cord blood is, the cost and expenses that they may entail for its storage in a cord blood bank is so small a price to pay for the opportunity of saving the life of a loved one.

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What you Need to Know About Cord Blood Banking

September 15, 2009 By admin

What you Need to Know About Cord Blood Banking

Cord blood is a main source of stem cells. Bone marrow is also a good source of stem cells and bone marrow transplants have become increasingly useful for treatment in stem cell related problems. Need To Know Cord Blood Banking

Cord blood is blood that is in the umbilical cord after the baby is born and it contains stem cells used to save people’s lives. The umbilical cord blood is processed and stored in a cord blood bank for any future transplant of stem cells.

The cord blood is tested first before being cryopreserved at the cord blood bank. It has to meet specific requirements of the blood bank to be acceptable. If the umbilical cord blood meets the eligibility requirements, it is then stored in a special bag and cryopreserved at the the cord blood bank.

Cord blood banks can provide public storage or private storage. The public cord blood banks use their stored cord blood to donate to hospitals and doctors. Donors are matched with cord blood according to the medical history of the family.

Extracting the cord blood from the umbilical cord is not painful to either the mother or the baby. The cord blood is taken after the umbilical cord is cut, and it is important to use this valuable tissue rather than throw it away. This same cord blood helps cure deadly diseases like cancer, leukemia, brain tumors, plasma cell disorders, renal cell carcinoma, phagocyte disorders, histiocytic disorders, congenital immune system disorders and other stem cell disorders.

Saving the cord blood from the baby’s umbilical cord can also help to save your own family because no one knows what will happen in the future. The umbilical cord blood is a perfect match to your baby and up to twenty five percent for all siblings.

If your plan is to keep the cord blood for your child, you must research the requirements of what is needed to privately bank your stem cells. You also need to know how the cord blood is stored. Make sure that the blood bank is associated with the American Association of Blood Banks. Checking on the financial outlook of the blood bank you select is also important as this says a lot about whether your cord blood will be safe or not.

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Stem Cell Preservation: Why Is It Important?

August 25, 2009 By admin

Stem Cell Preservation: Why Is It Important?

Stem Cells are referred to as progenitor cells meaning that they form the origin for different forms of adult cells. A broad classification of stem cells can be made into two types:

• Embryonic stem cells are found in a budding embryo and help in forming tissues as they differentiate.
• Adult stem cells are mainly repair cells that help in repair and regeneration of lost cells.

The capacity of stem cells to differentiate into adult cells have been utilized in modern day medicine to control and cure diseases, many of which were thought incurable a few years ago. Stem cells have helped in generating a cure for an astonishing 70 diseases and the list is growing every day.Stem Cell Preservation Why Important

There is controversy and opposition from several quarters to the use of embryonic stems cells, both for therapy as well as for scientific purposes. This is because to isolate the embryonic stem cells, the embryo may have to be destroyed. For this reason, adult stem cells are preferred for use. These are harvested either through the bone marrow or from blood drawn through the umbilical cord during child birth. The placenta is another source for the stem cells.

These days due to the advent of newer methods of therapy using stem cells, there are many stem cell banks that have emerged all over the world which deal in stem cell preservation. There are many public and private cord blood banks available. Public cord blood banks do not preserve the stem cells for the particular person from whom they are being derived but hold it for public use, as in organ banks. A private cord blood bank performs stem cell preservation for the use of the family undertaking this service, for a particular fee.

The cord blood and the placenta that is available during the delivery of a child contains viable stem cells if the collected blood is of an adequate quantity (about 75ml at least). This collection is performed by the medical team involved in the child delivery and sent by prior arrangement in a specialized bag to the cord blood bank for processing and stem cell preservation.

Once the bags containing the blood and the placenta reach the cord blood bank, they undergo various processes for disinfection, processing to obtain the stem cells, and addition of a cryopreservative to help the stem cells remain viable. The processing of the cord blood is done either by a separation of red blood cells or by keeping them intact with the specimen.

The blood derived from the mother before delivery and the cord blood are both tested for the presence of communicable diseases. After the preservative is added, the process of stem cell preservation is begun by a slow cooling process which is necessary to maintain the stem cells intact. This slow cooling is performed by maintaining the temperature first at -90 degrees and then slowly to -190 degrees by placing the stem cells in liquid nitrogen.

The stem cell preservation in liquid nitrogen helps cells remain useful for therapy in the future. This process of stem cell preservation not only helps the individual to fight some disorder if it arises, but it also helps other members in the family too if they need the stem cells for therapy.

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Stem Cell Preservation: Behind the Controversy

July 23, 2009 By admin

Stem Cell Preservation: Behind the Controversy

Currently there are 70 diseases that are treatable with stem cells. A generation ago or a decade ago, these diseases presented a poor prognosis for those diagnosed with them. Today, there is hope in stem cell preservation and stem cell research, but stem cell research is a controversial topic and an end to the debate is nowhere in sight. So what exactly is at debate? Why are emotions so torn when stem cell preservation could save lives?Stem Cell Preservation Controversy

There are two types of stem cells: adult and embryonic. Adult stem cells can be found in the bone marrow of the adult. Harvesting and preserving adult stem cells are not controversial. Instead, people embrace this research and look to it with hope. Embryonic stem cells, on the other hand, present a host of ethical concerns and issues sometimes disturbing the public.

Why? While it’s true that stem cells can be harvested from the umbilical cord, these stem cells are adult stem cells. In order to harvest embryonic stem cells, an in vitro procedure is performed which ultimately destroys the embryo and all chances for its survival. This lethal procedure is what is at the heart of the stem cell preservation debate. So why don’t scientists concentrate on harvesting adult stem cells and leave the embryonic ones alone?

Adult Stem Cells vs. Embryonic Stem Cells
Not all stem cells are created equal. There are actually three classifications of stem cells each with its own healing powers. For the purpose of this article, we are going to focus on two such classifications.

Embryonic stem cells are the most commonly used stem cells. Why? They are totipotent meaning that they are able to reproduce every type of cell found in the body. They are even capable of forming and entire organism. These cells are the miraculous life savers that offer the most hope to patients dying of certain diseases. Embryonic stem cells also inhibit the body’s immune response which means that there is less chance of rejection after a transplant.

Adult stem cells are multipotent which means that they are able to reproduce only a limited number of cell types. This means that their use in finding certain cures is limited. They are also difficult to harvest and pose many concerns including rejection.

There is no doubt that embryonic stem cell preservation can save lives, but is it at the cost of a human life. Granted, harvesting of stem cells occurs when the embryo is still a collection of cells.  But then the debate rages. When does life begin?

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