Hey moms, did you know that many diseases including certain type of cancers and blood disorders may be treated using stems cells found in your baby's cord blood? Your baby's precious cord blood has lifesaving benefits for him or any of your family members in the future. Thus, choosing a once in a lifetime chance of collecting and storing his cord blood is indeed a treasure to bank on.
In an event hosted by
Cordlife Philippines, I learned a lot about cord blood banking through their Medical Director
Dr. Arvin Faundo. Aside from that, two celebrity moms shared their remarkable experiences on cord blood banking.
Cord Blood Banking
Cord blood banking involves the process of storing stem cells - agent responsible for replenishing the blood and immune system - collected from the umbilical cord immediately after birth. The stem cells have the ability to develop into new and healthy red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. There are two options on how and where to store the baby cord blood - either private or public. Private cord blood banking is storing the baby's cord blood for his or her own future use or use by a family member should the need arise. On the other hand, public cord blood banking involves donating a baby's cord blood for potential use by any patient in need. When a family donate's their child's cord blood, they are relinquishing all their rights to own these cells. At present, private cord blood banking is now available here in the Philippines. However, clients may also opt store their babies' cord in Cordlife storage facility in Singapore.
How is cord blood banking done? Cord blood is collected after the baby is born and the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut out. Once it has been collected, the cord blood is transported to a cord blood processing and cryopreservation facility for specialized handling.
Cryopreservation is a process where cells or whole tissues are preserved by cooling to low sub-zero temperatures, (typically) 77 K or −196 °C (the boiling point of liquid nitrogen). Stem cells will be extracted from the cord blood using the world's first and only fully automated cord blood processing system called Sepax ® followed by a step to gradually freeze down the stem cells before they are finally stored in a liquid nitrogen tank at 196°C permanently. Research show that cord blood stem cells can be stored indefinitely as long as they are continuously stored in liquid nitrogen.
Dr. Faundo said that the collection process is painless, easy and safe for both the mother and the baby. Stem cells have been proven to successfully cure diseases including cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma; blood disorders such as thalassaemia; and, immune deficiencies and metabolic disorders. Researches say stem cells from cord blood may be used to treat diseases of the family members since the chance of locating cord blood match within the family is 60 percent higher that a bone marrow transplant, includes fewer complications, and has improved medical outcomes.
Cord blood banking is available at Cordlife, the Philippines' first world class cord blood processing and storage facility which is located at the UP-Ayaland Technohub, Diliman, Quezon City. Meanwhile, stem cell transplants are performed in the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), St. Luke's Medical Center, Asian Hospital, and The Medical Center. These hospitals have the necessary facilities and expertise of medical practitioners to perform cord blood banking transplants.
Cordlife Medical Philippines
