You have many decisions to make during your pregnancy as you prepare for your baby’s arrival.
One of these decisions is whether or not to save your baby’s cord blood stem cells. Stem cells are found in abundance in your baby’s umbilical cord blood and the cord. These genetically unique cells are the building blocks for your baby’s body for blood, organs, tissue and immune system. They can help to repair or rebuild injured or damaged cells for your child and could possibly aid other family members. By banking your child’s blood you have the opportunity to preserve these potentially life-saving cells.
Umbilical cord blood is being used in the treatment and, in some cases, cure, for many cancers, immune and genetic diseases, injuries and other illnesses. Families who have a history of certain genetic diseases are especially encouraged to bank their baby’s cord blood due to its potential use in siblings or parents. More and more families choose to bank their child’s umbilical cord blood for peace of mind for their family’s future. Babycell offers many options to families in saving these precious resources.
The window of opportunity to collect these cells is very short and it is only a one time opportunity.
The cord blood and tissue must be collected in the few minutes following the birth of your child, so the decision to save these valuable cells should be made by your third trimester in order to have your collection kit, or “Babycell Collection Kit,” delivered to you in time.
Cord blood stem cells are used in the treatment or cure of more than 80 diseases. Doctors are able to use it to treat many cancers and other malignant diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, autoimmune diseases and more.
Stem cells found in cord blood are much easier to match to a patient than bone marrow because it does not need to be as perfect a match as is required with bone marrow, which is why doctors are increasingly relying on this life-saving alternative to bone marrow transplants. Doctors have also turned to cord blood stem cells due to its lower probability of graft vs. host disease (GVHD).
Cord blood stem cells are also being used for the treatment of many more common diseases and medical afflictions such as cerebral palsy, autism, pediatric stroke, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s.
To be a match for any kind of stem cell transplant you must be a “match” to the donor cells. For a transplant coming from a bone marrow donor, a perfect 6 out 6 Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) tissue type match is required. For cord blood stem cells, only a 4 of 6 HLA match is necessary. Your baby will always be a perfect match to his or her cord blood should the need ever arise for a stem cell transplant. But did you know that for a full sibling there is also a 1-in-4 chance that they will also be a high-quality match? And cord blood stem cells are also a “half match,” or 3 of 6, for each parent.
It’s an exciting time in stem cell research. More and more successful transplants and medical breakthroughs are leading expectant parents to cord blood banking. The results of medical researchers studying the effects that stem cells have on many diseases are encouraging. They are looking at the use of stem cells in the treatments of spinal cord injuries, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, HIV, diabetes, and many, many more illnesses, injuries, and diseases.
With this research, the importance of saving your baby’s cord blood is greater than ever before. By choosing a private cord blood bank like Babycell, you can store your child’s cord blood and provide him or her a guaranteed exact genetic stem cell match as protection for treatment possibilities in the future.
Your children have an increased likelihood of requiring a stem cell transplant sometime in their life if your family has a medical history of any of the diseases that can be treated with cord blood. Choosing to bank the cord blood from all pregnancies is highly encouraged. The reason being that a sibling transplant may be superior for treatment of certain genetic diseases as opposed to one from the child’s own cells.
The stem cells in your baby’s cord blood have the ability to heal, repair or regrow damaged or diseased cells for your child or family members. The potential for their use today is remarkable with stem cells being used in the treatment of more than 80 diseases currently, and their future potential, as well as that from cord tissue stem cells, is promising with new therapies and discoveries made every day.
Whether it’s to protect your family’s future medical health, to treat a sibling with a current ongoing condition, or just for peace of mind, there is essentially no reason not to bank your baby’s umbilical cord blood. The scores of diseases currently being treated, coupled with the promising future potential being discovered every day, make the value in saving your baby’s cord blood even more important today. Preserving your child’s cord blood is an investment in your family’s future.
Cerebral palsy is considered a neurological disorder caused by a non-progressive brain injury or malformation that occurs while the baby’s brain is under development. Current treatment centers on the alleviation of symptoms to make cerebral palsy more manageable and does not offer a permanent cure. Infusion of stem cells preserved through umbilical cord blood banking is a proven cure for cerebral palsy and provides permanent relief to the patients.
What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy refers to a group of disorders that affect movement. It is permanent, but not unchanging, physical disability caused by an injury to the developing brain, usually before birth. Cerebral palsy primarily affects body movement and muscle coordination.
Causes:
For most babies born with cerebral palsy, the cause remains unknown. For a long time, it was believed that cerebral palsy was due to complications at birth, including asphyxia (lack of oxygen). Now, it is generally accepted that cerebral palsy usually arises from a series of events that can lead to an injury in a baby’s developing brain.
In 13 out of 14 cases of cerebral palsy in India, the brain injury leading to cerebral palsy occurs either in the uterus (while the mother is pregnant) or before 1 month of age.
Risk Factors
Prevalence of Cerebral Palsy in India
According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimation, 10% of the global population has some form of disability due to different causes; in India, it is 3.8% of the population. Nearly 15-20% of the total physically handicapped children suffer from Cerebral Palsy (CP). For India, the estimated incidence is around 3/1000 live births; however, being a developing country, the expected actual figure may be much higher.
Cure of Cerebral Palsy – Stem Cell Transplant
Injection of umbilical cord blood stem cells can help protect or repair damaged nerve cells. Umbilical cord blood stem cells can be collected from the umbilical cord shortly after birth. They are currently being used as a potential treatment for cerebral palsy and are able to support the recovery of damaged nerve cells by releasing substances that stimulate the body’s own repair systems.
Considering the high incidence of cerebral palsy in India and curative uses of umbilical cord blood stem cells, it is evident that umbilical cord blood banking is important. Babycell is one of the best cord blood banks in India and uses a sophisticated Double Sedimentation Spin (DSS) Technology for the preservation of umbilical cord blood stem cells.
What is Cardiomyopathy?
Cardiomyopathy is disease of the heart muscle in which the heart muscle becomes infected, enlarged, thick, or rigid.
Current Treatment
Treatment options can only manage cardiomyopathy or reduce risks and they depend on the type of cardiomyopathy the patient has, the severity of the symptoms and complications, age and overall health. Current treatment options cannot completely cure the disease. Treatments may include:
The main goals of current treatments cardiomyopathy include:
Cardiomyopathy incidences in India
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have emerged as the leading cause of mortality worldwide. In India, 1.7-2.0 million deaths are attributed to CVDs annually. The South Indian region, which is home to one‑fifth of the total population of India, accounts for ~25% of total CVD-related deaths in the country. It is estimated that by 2030, death linked to cardiovascular complications will rise to 17.9 million in India alone, which is approximately 10 times the CVD-related mortality in the US. Prevalence of cardiomyopathy is reported to be higher in the South Asian population as compared to Western population. In India cardiomyopathy accounts for about 15-20% of sudden cardiac deaths.
Umbilical cord blood stem cell therapy to treat Cardiomyopathy
With a focus on recent advances that highlight the vascular potential exhibited by umbilical cord blood stem cells, new found study proves the efficacy of umbilical cord stem cells in the cure of cardiomyopathy. Umbilical cord blood stem cells have a significant potential to regenerate into cardiac muscle cells. Potential mechanisms of umbilical cord blood stem cells and amelioration of IDCM myocardium, consideration of these issues show that umbilical cord blood stem cells are conceivably new therapeutic agents for this complex and elusive human disorder. Indeed umbilical cord blood banking can create a healthier society.
Cord blood stem cell therapy for dilated cardiomyopathy: Preclinical studies have demonstrated that cord blood stem cells:
(i) Inhibit myocardial inflammation
(ii) Inhibit cardiomyocyte apoptosis
(iii) Stimulate angiogenesis
(iv) Display therapeutic activity in models of dilated cardiomyopathy
Clinical studies have demonstrated the ability of mesenchymal stem cells to inhibit post-infarct remodelling, as well as potently block inflammatory processes in graft versus host and Crohn disease. Case report of a patient with dilated cardiomyopathy treated with intravenous allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells and expanded umbilical cord blood CD34 cells who underwent a profound clinical improvement.
Reference:
· http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21641354
· http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18549704
Cord blood for transplants is collected from the umbilical cord after a newborn baby is delivered. The stem cells from this cord blood are extracted in a Cell Processing Centre and preserved in -196ᵒ C liquid nitrogen tanks for future use.
Umbilical Cord Blood Banking Process
Considering the incidences of cardiac diseases, life threatening complications of cardiomyopathy and high potential of umbilical cord blood stem cells; make the need for umbilical cord blood banking in India evident. Babycell is a service provider of umbilical cord blood banking in India. Babycell achieved its ISO certification in the first year itself; by the second year of operations they received GMP, GLP and GCP certifications. Babycell also provides value added services like new born screening (NBS), CFU assay- to test the ability of stem cells to differentiate, HLA testing, Father’s wellness program and more.