Cord blood is an invaluable treasure that may save the life of a child or its siblings in the future. Thanks to the stem cells it contains, dozens of diseases, mainly cancerous, are treated, which is why many people decide to store it in banks. Check what diseases cord blood helps with and what are the arguments for and against cord blood storage.

Cord bloodis the source of stem cells.Fetal stem cellsare unusual, one might say - immortal. They are called multi-potential cells because they have the ability to renew and differentiate, i.e. they give rise to all tissues of the body - nervous, bone, muscle, connective and blood cells. They divide during the development of the fetus. On the one hand, a specialized cell (e.g., of the heart muscle, liver, skin, nerve or platelets) is formed, and on the other - another parent cell, which is stored by the body in the so-called backup pool and can turn into any cell. After birth, the same type of cell, only less able to transform, is present in the bone marrow and peripheral blood.

After transplantation, stem cells multiply. Importantly, they almost never attack the recipient's cells, so there is no rejection of the transplant. It is especially important in saving patients with leukemia. Introducing them into the body is safe, because they have one more advantage - they are not a carrier of neoplastic diseases that can develop during human life as a result of, for example, the environment or under the influence of deformed genes.

Most stem cells are found in human embryos, but obtaining them from fetuses, for example through an abortion, cannot be accepted without reservation. The second source can beumbilical cord blood . Until recently, it was destroyed in hospitals along with the placenta and umbilical cord.

Cord blood - what diseases is it useful for?

The first successful cord blood stem cell transplant was carried out in 1988. The donor was a newborn girl, and the recipient was her 5-year-old brother with Fanconi anemia (a congenital blood disease leading to acute myeloid leukemia). This started the use of blood to treat hematopoietic and immune system diseaseskids. To date, over 4,000 such transplants have been performed in children and adults. Nearly 70 diseases can be treated with stem cell transplantation:

  • malignant neoplasms: acute leukemias, lymphomas
  • malignant anemie
  • severe combined immunodeficiency
  • osteoporosis
  • some types of strokes, heart defects

There are intense attempts to use these cells to fight diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and some autoimmune and hereditary diseases. Scientists believe that they will "fill" with these cells damaged fragments of internal organs, such as the liver and muscles. Most likely, it will also become the mainstay of treatment after strokes and heart attacks. Perhaps it will be able to recreate fragments of the spinal cord and other organs. It is a hope for all those injured in accidents.

How to choose a cord blood bank?

Addresses of umbilical cord blood banks can be obtained, for example, in maternity clinics and birthing schools. However, do not rush the decision. To choose the best bank, there are several issues to consider, not only costs.

  • Credibility of the bank. Parents should learn about the institution's previous experience in working with stem cells. Self-respecting banks on their websites boast about their achievements. They usually have brochures for parents explaining in accessible language the rules for collecting and storing blood. They also organize meetings with experts upon request. Too much emphasis on signing the contract quickly may suggest that it is just about getting another customer. It is important to allow time to think and provide comprehensive information, also on the academic achievements of employees.
  • Terms of the contract. A well-structured contract protects the interests of both parties and gives them a written guarantee of compensation in the event of withdrawal from it or failure to comply with its terms. It should contain a record of the amount of blood taken, which cannot be less than 40 ml, because then it is difficult to isolate enough cells to be used for treatment in the future. Nevertheless, at the express written request of the parents, a smaller amount is deposited, with no guarantee. Usually 70-80 ml is obtained from the umbilical cord.
  • If your bank does not provide insurance against cell damage, it is better to look for another one.
  • After signing the contract, the parents make an advance payment of about PLN 500 to cover the costs of collection, transport and laboratory tests (in some private banks the entire amount is paid immediately). They receive a collection kit that they must take with them to the delivery room.
  • Download kit, consisting of two parts:

- a special device with a bag, enabling blood collection in a closed system. The bag contains an anti-clotting agent. The closed set proves the class of the bank and the quality of the medical procedures used in it. Using a syringe and then pouring blood into a bag is not sterile.

- a four-layer thermal insulation styrofoam container with substances stabilizing the temperature (it can be room type). There is a recorder on the lid of the box, which records its changes from the time of collection to the moment of blood delivery to the laboratory. This ensures full control of the transport conditions.

  • Blood transport. Stem cells are most viable between 24 and 36 hours after collection. Only during this time can blood be transported and tested and cells frozen. Therefore, it is important under which conditions blood is transported. The bank is responsible for this.

Collection and research

  • Cord blood is collected painlessly. The treatment is safe. It takes about five minutes. It is performed by a midwife or a doctor immediately after cutting the umbilical cord; during cesarean section - right after the placenta is removed. The hospital and the midwife or doctor must have a contract with a bank. Otherwise no one will take blood.
  • The bag with the collected blood is packed in a heat-insulating container.
  • The hospital informs the bank about the preparation of the blood, and the bank orders it to be transported to the laboratory. The courier also takes the mother's blood sample for testing.
  • In the laboratory, the blood is divided into several so-called pilot samples and a stock which has to be frozen fairly quickly after isolating the stem cells from it. Morphology, leukocyte viability, virological and bacteriological tests are performed on some of the pilot samples. The rest will be used in the analysis of the usefulness of blood for the child's relatives.
  • The containers are placed in a chamber filled with liquid nitrogen vapors at a temperature of -196 degrees C. Under such conditions, cells do not lose their properties for decades.
  • It takes at least two weeks to complete all tests. If the results show the he alth of the mother and child, the parents pay a fee and receive a certificate of deposit of the child's umbilical cord blood.
  • The blood stored in the bank is marked with an identification number, which was previously also placed on each part of the blood collection kit and in the documentation. This makes it impossible to make a mistake or swap samples. When blood is needed for treatment, the bank will deliver it to the hospital.

Withdrawal from the contract

  • If afterthe tests showed that the blood is infected with a virus, two solutions are used. The first is withdrawal from the contract. Then the parents do not pay the fee or it is returned to them (they only lose the advance payment). Solution two - if the virus is not lethal, you can store the sample in the so-called solitary. In some situations, defective blood is transplanted to save life. Where the bank allows such blood to be stored, parents must sign a declaration that they take responsibility for the consequences of using it for treatment.
  • If the child dies in childbirth, the contract will no longer be valid. Parents are returned the money paid.
  • If a child dies after several years, parents are required to notify the bank and decide whether they want to keep the blood for themselves or other children or whether it should be destroyed.

Note!

In many private banks, the collection and storage of stem cells from the cord blood of a child whose older sibling has leukemia is free.

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