Donation
Autologous stem cell transplants refer to transplants where the donor and recipient of the stem cells are the same individual. The cord blood that you are storing for your baby today is a potential medical resource for the future, and does not require stringent matching as opposed to conventional bone marrow stem cell transplants. About 70% of patients who need a transplant are unable to find a suitable match within the family.
In the event of an already time-critical situation where stem cells are required for a transplant, having your child’s cord blood stored compares well to having to do a national or international search which is both costly and time-consuming.
Graft vs. Host Disease refers to a common complication where the transplanted tissue attacks the patient's own tissue. This disease will usually occur in transplants when the donor and recipient are different.
Cord blood collection is a relatively easy task, which is handled by your own delivering doctor (OBGYN). This process does not affect the birthing process in any way and can be done on both natural and c-section births.
In comparison to other types of stem cells obtained from other sources, e.g. bone marrow and peripheral blood, umbilical cord stem cells are able to grow healthy blood stem cells at a faster rate and are also more tolerant to HLA mismatches.
Statistics have shown that 1 in every 217 persons may need stem cells for treatment in their lifetime. Your baby’s cord blood contains a rich source of such stem cells. Since 1988, doctors have used cord blood stem cells to treat more than 40,000 patients suffering from diseases such as certain cancers like leukaemia, blood disorders as well as those in clinical trials.
