What is Cord Blood?

http://www.nationalcordbloodprogram.org/qa/

After a baby is born and the umbilical cord is cut, some blood remains in the blood vessels of the placenta and the portion of the umbilical cord that remains attached to it. After birth, the baby no longer needs this extra blood. This blood is called placental blood or umbilical cord blood: “cord blood” for short.

Cord blood contains all the normal elements of blood – red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. But it is also rich in hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells, similar to those found in bone marrow. This is why cord blood can be used for transplantation as an alternative to bone marrow.

Cord blood is being used increasingly on an experimental basis as a source of stem cells, as an alternative to bone marrow. Most cord blood transplants have been performed in patients with blood and immune system diseases. Cord Blood transplants have also been performed for patients with genetic or metabolic diseases.  More than 80 different diseases have been treated to date with unrelated cord blood transplants.

Scientists are investigating the possibility that stem cells in cord blood may be able to replace cells of other tissues such as nerve or heart cells. Whether cord blood can be used to treat other kinds of diseases will be learned from this research.

Cord Blood Bank

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord_blood_bank

A cord blood bank is a facility which stores umbilical cord blood for future use. Both private and public cord blood banks have developed since the mid-to-late 1990s in response to the potential for cord blood in treating diseases of the blood and immune systems.

Public banks accept donations to be used for anyone in need. The percentage of public bank donations discarded as medical waste is estimated to be between 60 to 80%. Traditionally, public cord blood banking has been more widely accepted by the medical community in part because paying to save the cord blood privately is not financially feasible for many families. However, there are very strict regulations which public banks need to follow in order to enable the donated units to be added to a registry. Generally, an expectant mother interested in donation should contact the bank before the 34th week of pregnancy. Once the blood is donated, it loses all identifying information after a short period of initial testing. Families are not able retrieve their own blood after it has been donated.

Banking cord blood in a private umbilical cord blood bank, such as Cord Blood Registry or Americord Registry, is a personal choice made by both parents. Private banks store cord blood with a link to the identity of the donor, so that the family may retrieve it later if it is needed. The parents have custody of the cord blood until the child is an adult. The cord blood might someday be needed by the donor baby, or it could be used by a relative who is a close enough match to receive a transplant from the donor, typically a sibling. Private banks charge a fee to preserve the harvested cord blood for family biological insurance.

Cord blood contains hematopoietic stem cells, progenitor cells which can form red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Cord blood cells are currently used to treat blood and immune system related genetic diseases, cancers, and blood disorders.