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The process can be used to treat certain diseases of the blood and the immune system.A sample of blood is taken from a newborn baby's umbilical cord.The blood taken from the baby's unbilical cord is rich in hematopoietic stem cells, which are precursors to blood cells(stem cell banking).This is why it can be used to cure many blood diseases and give a boost to the immune system.
There is a continued research of these cord blood stem cells for their ability to act like our
body’s own personal repair kit so more discoveries can be made of how they may be able to help our bodies heal in new ways.It really is a ground breaking discovery full of many possibilities.
body’s own personal repair kit so more discoveries can be made of how they may be able to help our bodies heal in new ways.It really is a ground breaking discovery full of many possibilities.
Currently there are over 70 diseases the cord blood transplant can be used for.Here are a list of treatments cord blood can be used for.
Blood Disorders that can be treated with cord blood.
- Sickle-cell anemia (hemoglobin SS)
- sickle-cell anemia in particular holds a strong bond with me.It is a disease peculiar to the black race and there is no current cure.The few times patients have been cured has been through stem transplant and the cord blood procedure.
These list comes under the Cancer treatment.
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
- Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
- Burkitt's lymphoma
- Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
- Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML)
- Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
- Hodgkin's lymphoma
- Lymphomatoid granulomatosis
- Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)
- Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML)
The following are Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes
- Amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia
- Autoimmune neutropenia (severe)
- Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia
- Cyclic neutropenia
- Diamond-Blackfan anemia
- Evan's syndrome
- Fanconi anemia
- Glanzmann's disease
- Juvenile dermatomyositis
- Kostmann's syndrome
- Red cell aplasia
- Shwachman syndrome
- Severe aplastic anemia
- Congenital sideroblastic anemia
- Thrombocytopenia with absent radius (TAR syndrome)
- Dyskeratosis congenita
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Metabolic Disorders
- Adrenoleukodystrophy Gaucher's disease (infantile)
- Metachromatic leukodystrophy
- Krabbe disease (globoid cell leukodystrophy)
- Gunther disease
- Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome
- Hurler syndrome
- Hurler-Scheie syndrome
- Hunter syndrome
- Sanfilippo syndrome
- Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome
- Mucolipidosis Type II, III
- Alpha mannosidosis
- Niemann Pick Syndrome, type A and B
- Sandhoff Syndrome
- Tay-Sachs Disease
- Lesch-Nyhan disease
Immunodeficiencies is also one of the categories that can be treated with cord blood banking.
- Ataxia telangiectasia
- Chronic granulomatous disease
- DiGeorge syndrome
- IKK gamma deficiency
- Immune dysregulation polyendocrineopathy
- X-linked Mucolipidosis, Type II
- Myelokathexis X-linked immunodeficiency
- Severe combined immunodeficiency
- Adenosine deaminase deficiency
- Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome
- X-linked agammaglobulinemia
- X-linked lymphoproliferative disease
- Omenn's syndrome
- Reticular dysplasia
- Thymic dysplasia
- Leukocyte adhesion deficiency
- Also treating Osteopetrosis ,Langerhans cell histiocytosis and Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis have had a great success rate after being treated with cord blood transplant.
So now lets look at the cord blood banking pros and cons.Despite all the great possibilities and miracle like performance of the procedure,they also have limitations. For example the treatment of adults with cord blood typically requires two units of cord blood to treat one adult.After many Clinical trials using "double cord blood transplantation" for adults,it has demonstrated outcomes similar to use of other sources of HSCs, such as bone marrow or mobilized peripheral blood. Current studies are being done to expland a single cord blood unit for use in adults. Cord blood can also only be used to treat blood diseases. No therapies for non-blood-related diseases have yet been developed using HSCs from either cord blood or adult bone marrow.
Pros: It helps cancer patients Recover From Chemotherapy.
One of the most pleasing pros is that Stem cell treatment from cord blood can help people recover from various cancer treatments such as chemotherapy.
Using the stem cells from cord blood will stimulate cell growth and replace the cells that were killed by aggressive chemo treatment.
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Pros: A revolutionary Treatment for Fatal Diseases.
It has successfully been used to treat a variety of rare, otherwise-fatal diseases like immunodeficient disorders, thalassemia, Krabbe disease, leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Pros: Stem Cell Treatment
Cord blood stem cells are the best treatment for those seeking stem cell treatment because it gives the best possible match.
Stem cells obtained from other parts of the body, such as bone marrow, may be rejected by the body of the person receiving them—this risk is minimized as stem cells from cord blood are immature.
Cons: The treatment Can Be Costly.
Cord blood banking in storage can be quite expensive.
This is partly because most cord blood banks are run privately, and can come with a hefty initial processing fee as well as an annual storage fee.Most parents might find this unbearable as the years go by.
Cons: Most Diseases they treat Are Not Common
It's kind of like you taking out a life insurance,you might live to be very long and thinking you wasted all that payment.This is because most of the diseases that it treats are very rare.So it is highly unlikely that your baby or child will need the stored blood.But would you rather have insurance or take a risk?It is up to you really.
Cons: It has a limited Shelf Life
The life span of the Cord blood stem cells is 10,so basically a limited shelf life.Research has not determined how effective it is after 10 years.
Cons:Not A Universal Treatment Option adopted by all yet
Stem cell therapy has not yet been proven to be a cure for all.
Cord blood banking cost.Now like everything in life,there is always a price to pay and the cost for this treatment is not exactly cheap.
When you consider you are paying for something that the odds say you might never need,it becomes even more expensive.The prices for the procedure varies, but it is not uncommon for storage banks to charge up to $1,800/£1,500 for the initial processing.And it doesn't stop there.They also charge an annual fees that might go from about £80-£100 / $100-$125.
So good luck in your quest to secure the health of your baby's in future,or maybe cure a present disease with the help of donors.I hope this article was a great help for you and gave you a better insight into cord blood banking and treatment.