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First Years (0-2)

Cord blood Should you save this precious resource? By Jena VuylstekePublished: May, 2009

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Irvine-based PacifiCord is changing the lives of Orange County families, one umbilical cord at a time. The blood banking center opened its doors this past March, giving thousands of expectant mothers and fathers the opportunity to ensure their child a healthy future by collecting and preserving the stem cells from its umbilical cord.     “Cord blood is a rich source of stem cells,” says resident PacifiCord healthcare educator Wendy Spry. “They have no differentiation, so in the event of certain cancers and diseases, we can transplant those cells into the body, and they will develop into healthy tissue.”     For families with history of disease, cancer or otherwise, collecting and storing their baby’s stem cells is their one and only opportunity to ensure access to these types of successful treatments.      “The use of stem cells in regenerative medicine has opened a new frontier in medicine – the potential of which is just being realized,” says Peter J. Donovan, co-director of the Stem Cell Research Center at UC Irvine.  “From treating heart disease, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease to spinal cord injuries, stem cells hold the ability to both restore and give rise to a wide range of cell types in the body.”     In fact, to date more than 70 diseases have been successfully treated with cord blood.     “Things that we never thought could be treated or cured now can be,” Spry says. “The future is so bright in regenerative medicine and what these amazing cells can do.”     At PacifiCord, they not only preserve your child’s umbilical cord cells, they offer hand-delivered collection on site, which then speeds up the processing of the sample and better maintains its viability.     “Several days ago we had a baby that was born at 9 a.m.” Spry says. “A representative from our office was sent to collect the cells, and her blood was processed, frozen and in our BioArchives (PacifiCord’s state-of-the-art liquid nitrogen storage system) by 2:00 p.m. Because we are so local, once a baby is delivered and the cord blood is collected, we can get it into our facility, processed and frozen much quicker than many of the other banks outside California.”     From that moment on, frozen cells will remain in the PacifiCord storage bank indefinitely. However, should they ever be needed by the parents or the individual, the sample is then robotically removed, leaving all other samples completely untouched.     “We really hope that you never need to use it, but to have it there as peace of mind is really a wonderful option that wasn’t available 20 years ago,” says Spry.     For more information – including costs, facility tours and enrollment in one of their prenatal classes – visit pacificord.com or call 888-379-CORD to speak with a representative. Cord Blood FAQs Q: What is umbilical cord blood (UCB)? A: Bone marrow, peripheral blood and UCB constitute the three primary sources of stem cells. Cord blood, which, until recently, was discarded along with the umbilical cord and placenta, provides an extremely rich source of certain types of stem cells. Q: What are stem cells? A: In medical terms, they’re “undifferentiated cells” that have the ability to renew themselves. In plain English, stem cells are blank slates. They have the potential to become any of the tissues and organs found in bodies. For example, stem cells can be turned into specific cell types, like muscle cells for the heart, bone cells or nerve cells. Q: What are the advantages of using umbilical cord blood as a stem cell source? A: Today, cord blood stem cells can be used to treat more than 70 diseases, including cancers and blood- related diseases, along with immunity and metabolic disorders. Cord blood is easy to collect and can be readily available when needed. Source: pacificord.com Cord blood vs. bone marrow Since 1998, advances in cord blood technology have allowed cord blood transplants to become an increasingly desirable alternative to traditional bone marrow transplants in patients requiring a stem cell transplant. And while bone marrow transplants continue to be a more commonly performed procedure, there is evidence that suggests this may be changing.     Both bone marrow and cord blood stem cell transplants are designed to replace unhealthy cells with healthy ones; the most common sources of these healthy cells are located in both bone marrow and in the umbilical cord blood.     Cord blood is easily collected from an infant’s umbilical cord after delivery, while a bone marrow, on the other hand, is transplanted by extracting the spongy tissue from the inside of a donor’s bones to cultivate new stem cells in the recipient.     The procedure is very painful for the donor, while saving cord blood keeps stem cells viable in a pain-free way. Source: womens-health.com Jena Vuylsteke is a freelance writer.

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