Stem cells are found in our bone marrow where they continue to generate cells throughout our lives. Scientists have discovered that the blood remaining in a baby's umbilical cord, which is typically discarded at birth, is a rich source of stem cells. The blood is taken from your baby's umbilical cord painlessly immediately after delivery. The decision to store your baby's cord stem cells will afford your child the opportunity to take advantage of the rapidly evolving medical technology associated with stem cell therapies. If ever necessary, cord stem cells can be an excellent allogeneic alternative for bone marrow transplants.
Treatments involving radiation or chemotherapy often destroy the immune system.
Cord blood stem cells have a number of important advantages over bone marrow or grafts from a syngeneic family member. Cord blood stem cells are easier to obtain than stem cells from bone marrow, and treatments using cord blood stem cells can be less costly than bone marrow transplants. Additionally, the collection of cord blood is a quick, non-invasive and painless procedure with no risk to the mother or newborn. Cord stem cells have the added advantages of being available and already prepared for transplant if ever needed. More importantly, however, is the fact that cord blood stem cells are a perfect match for the child from whom they were collected, thus eliminating the difficult process of finding a matching donor and minimizing the risks of rejection.