Blood stem cells are usually called Hematopoietic stem cells by the medical community. These are cells that are found in the blood that are able to grow from a current non-specific state into different blood cells like red cells, white cells or platelets.

Every human being has these cells–and not just in their blood, but in other areas of their bodies as well. Humans carry a storage of “blank cells” that reside in various tissues and organs of the body that, when those tissues or organs become injured or diseased, can grow into new healthy cells to help the body stay as healthy as possible. In recent years, scientists have been looking into these types of cells as a way to help treat a myriad of diseases and disorders.

One of the best ways to obtain blood stem cells is to collect them from either umbilical cord blood or a person’s blood marrow. Thanks to the increasing levels of cord blood donation, many doctors and patients are turning to umbilical cord blood as a source of blood stem cells. This is due largely to the fact that the collection of cord blood is non invasive and less painful to the patient than if he or she had to undergo a bone marrow transplant.

In the Spring 2008 issue of Paradigm Magazine (published by Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research), scientists found that paring cord blood cells with blood stem cells could actually increase the number of viable blood stem cells by as much as twenty times the amount they could create before the cord blood cells were introduced into the culture. This is an important development for the medical community because it means that they might be able to actually grow viable and healthy cells without needing as many “starter” cells.

Blood stem cells are most helpful in helping patients recover from treatment of blood cancers. Some doctors have found success by employing a method that involves extracting healthy stem cells from a patient and freezing them while the patient goes through his chemotherapy and radiation treatments. When the treatments are finished, the frozen stem cells are returned to the patient’s blood stream to grow into healthy blood cells. These new healthy cells not only help the patient recover from his procedures, they can help the body ward off the cancer’s advances. Even better, the blood cell transplant can be done as an outpatient procedure, which can help the patient recover far more quickly than if he had to endure a stay in the hospital.

Stem cell research is still very controversial–especially research and treatment that involves the use of embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells, on the other hand, are proving to be useful–especially when their growth is aided by agents like cord blood cells!

The organization deals with both the family banking (i.e. the private cord blood stem cell banking) as well as public donation of such stem cells to the persons requiring it for medical treatment subject to proper stem call matching. The private banking of stem cells is free however the private banking is paid.

The CBR (Cord Blood Registry) is the most experienced and oldest organization in the field of cord blood banking services providers. It has maximum number of collected samples and also most number in terms of transplant experience. It has the state of art, technology for the collection, processing and storage of the cord blood stem cells.

Known for quality services as well as one step solution for cord blood related needs, it has longest case diction history with American Association of Blood Banks (AABB).

Apart from being global leaders in regenerative medicine, it is also has highest recovery rate in the industry, as well as an excellent service for customers. Apart from quality service guarantee is also provided by the organization.

The organization also runs continuing education program for the health care by professionals. Not only for collection of cord blood stem cells samples but also for the treatments and spreading the recent developments and studies involving in these cells.

In the field of research and development, the organization conducts and calls cell treatment research as well as clinical trials apart from having its own cell expansion research facilities. It has also a list of valuable and numerous corporate clients who get benefited by the organization’s research and development and other facilities.

Further the Cord Blood Registry (CBR) also has strategic tie ups with a number of universities as well as medical colleges, who work in tandem with each other for the sake of development in the field of research and medication related to cord blood stem cell treatment.

Over the last decade scientists have proven the many benefits that can be obtained by using umbilical stem cells to treat patients. Even though the topic of stem cell research, as a whole, is up for moral debate, there are not many who can deny that harvesting umbilical cord blood is a good idea. How is an umbilical stem cell harvested?

The first thing that readers need to know is that the harvesting of umbilical cord blood is not an invasive procedure. In fact, neither the newborn baby nor its mother experience any pain when the cord blood is harvested. Here is how the procedure is done:

After a baby is born, the doctor ties and cuts the umbilical cord as he or she normally would. A technician then places a needle into the vein of the umbilical cord and drains the cord of its blood. The blood is then promptly stored in a cord blood bank for future use. Because the baby and mother are tied off from the umbilical cord, neither person experiences pain at the draining of the cord blood.

The parents can decide whether to donate the cord blood to a public bank to be used whenever it is needed by whomever needs it or they can choose to store the blood in a private bank in case members of the family need it for future use.

The big issue with the umbilical stem cell, particularly to those who are accessing the cells via a public donation bank, is whether or not it is safe to graft or transplant these cells into a patient who does not share DNA with the donor. The fact is that studies have shown that, in many cases, it is safer to use umbilical cells than it is to use traditional methods of life saving procedures like bone marrow transplants.

A study done in 2000 proved that cord blood transplant patients had lower incidents of graft v. host disease after receiving a donation of umbilical stem cells.

The donation process poses no harm to the mother or her newborn baby and the transplant can now sometimes be done as an outpatient procedure. Bone marrow donation, on the other hand, involves a lengthy and painful surgical procedure for both the donor and the recipient.

Finding a bone marrow match is most often limited to a patient’s family members. With the donation of stem cells from an umbilical cord, the match criteria are not as strict. Donor stem cells are more likely to “take” even when there are tissue mismatches between the transplant donor and the recipient.

Finally, the umbilical stem cell is less likely to carry with it viruses or infections, whereas bone marrow has been known to introduce new illnesses to the recipient patient.

Not so long ago, the average American had not heard of stem cells, let alone umbilical cord stem cells. Today stem cells are at the heart of a very heated debate taking place all over the country. What are these controversial cells and why are people so passionate about whether or not they should be harvested, stored and used?

Before getting into cells that are specific to the umbilical cord, a brief overview of stem cells is needed. Stem cells are cells that have yet to “decide” what they are going to be. When a baby is conceived, the cells that make up the embryonic stage have not yet been “programmed” to become anything specific. These cells are concerned only with reproducing themselves to create enough cells to form a fully functioning human being. As the embryo develops into a fetus, the “unprogrammed” cells mature and become liver cells, skin cells, blood cells, etc.

Stem cells are in high demand by the medical community because, according to medical experts, these cells have the potential to heal many life threatening disorders and diseases. It is theorized that, because the stem cells do not yet “know” what they are going to be, that they can be implanted in a fully grown human being and develop into healthy new cells that can be used to replace diseased or unhealthy cells that are present.

Umbilical cord stem cells are especially valuable because, unlike embryonic stem cells (which are under fire constantly as the medical field has not yet found a way to reconcile the moral issues surrounding their research), these cells can be harvested without destroying an embryo or even harming the infant. The cells are taken from the umbilical cord after the baby is born.

Umbilical cord stem cells are not the same as embryonic stem cells, though some embryonic stem cells have been found in umbilical cord blood. Even so, umbilical cord stem cells are thought to be able to help treat and perhaps even cure cancers like lymphoma and leukemia. It can also be used to treat disorders like sickle cell anemia and Hurler Syndrome. Current research shows that the cells collected from umbilical cord blood can help patients of almost any age. Right now it looks like 70 is about the age cut off because, beyond that age, the damage that has been done by a disease or the treatment of a disease is too permanent. According to a study done in 2004, the average age of a patient receiving treatment from umbilical stem cells is 49 (in patients polled aged 19-69).

Umbilical cord stem cells can easily be donated at the time of an infant’s birth. The cells can be donated to a public bank or stored in a private banking facility in case family members find themselves in need of serious medical treatment in the future.

While scientists and moralists have argued over whether or not embryonic stem cell research is a good idea, many advances have been made in the field of cord blood stem cell research. The stem cells contained in a baby’s umbilical cord are just as viable as embryonic stem cells and their ability to help a patient fight and recover from serious illness has been proven.

In fact, while many have been arguing over embryonic cell research, many states have set up public cord blood stem cell donation centers. More and more parents are consenting to have the cord blood harvested after they have given birth.

Some parents choose to save their children’s cord blood and store it privately. Research has proven (several times over) that cord blood used within the same familial system has a higher success rate than cord blood stem cells that are given to a patient from a donor outside of the family tree. Some parents embrace the idea of their children’s umbilical cord blood being able to help save many lives and they choose to have their harvested umbilical cord blood stored in a public donation facility to help whoever might be in need.

Whether you choose to donate your cord blood stem cells to a public donation service or to store your cord blood privately is up to you. One thing, however, cannot be denied. Cord blood can help save lives.

Patients who were once dependent upon bone marrow transplants are now routinely transfused with cord blood stem cell transplants instead. Why? The biggest reason is that a cord blood transplant is a minimally invasive procedure. Some clinics are even able to do the transplant as an outpatient procedure. Bone marrow transplants, on the other hand, are invasive, painful and are done as in patient procedures and have a lengthy recovery time. According to the website for the National Cord Blood Program, in the United States fifty percent of the stem cell transplants in children are done using non related cord blood donations.

Doctors have also used cord blood stem cell treatments to help patients suffering from a variety of cancers (lymphoma and leukemia are the highest percentage helped with cord blood), spinal cord injuries and sickle cell anemia. Scientists are currently conducting research to find out whether or not using cord blood stem cells can help grow the rate of other stem cell reproductions.

The research is sound and more studies are being conducted every day. These are projects and studies that tout the benefits of stem cell treatments and, with every passing day, umbilical cord blood cell harvesting is becoming more popular. Both public and private cord blood donations and storage have increased over the last five to ten years.

Over the last half decade stem cells harvested from the blood of the umbilical cord have proven useful in treating a host of diseases and syndromes like leukemia, sickle cell anemia, myeloma and spinal cord injuries.

Research has also shown that the public cord blood donation is not yet ready to meet the ever increasing demands being made by medical professionals and their patients. This is because of two reasons. The biggest reason is that many people are still wary about the safety of cord cell donation. The other important reason for the shortage is that many families are choosing to store their umbilical cord blood in private banks. Private bank stores are only available to the family that harvested the blood. They cannot be used outside of familial ties.

Time has shown that harvesting, donating an accepting umbilical cord blood donations from those outside of a family tree are safe. In fact, even for patients who receive donations from non-relatives, the success rate o the stem cell transplant is higher than the success rate of stem cells harvested from bone marrow.

If you want to donate your baby’s umbilical cord blood, here is how to do it:

1. Make your decision early. You should start contacting both private and public blood banks a minimum of six weeks before your due date. This will give you time to locate a facility in your area that is accepting donations.

2. If you choose to store your umbilical cord blood in a private bank, the facility will send you a collection kit that your doctor can use to collect the blood. Private banks usually charge a hefty fee for cord blood collection and storage. Public donation, on the other hand, is usually free for the donor.

3. Complete the health questionnaire and screening process. Usually, in addition to filling out a full medical history, the mother will have to have her blood tested for diseases like HIV and Hepatitis.

4. Make sure that your OB/GYN and your birthing team know about your plans for cord blood donations before you get to the hospital on your delivery day. This way they can prepare to harvest the umbilical cord stem cell supply immediately after the cord is cut.

5. Once the blood has been donated, the medical team will most often make sure it gets to where it needs to go. If you are donating to a private bank, make sure you understand exactly how the collection and storage process is supposed to happen.

Read more about the pros and cons of cord blood banking to help you decide if you want to make a cord blood donation.

The cord blood preservation with private banks is costing a bit, whereas if public preservation is done, it becomes impersonalized, i.e. difficult to find out whose cord blood it is and could be used by anyone who requires it.

The blood needs to be collected in minimum sample size of 75ML however the average sample size being 100ML. This sample is collected painlessly at the time of birth from the umbilical cord when the cord is cut off from the body of the infant. After the sample is collected, it is send to preservation laboratory and then viability processing is carried out.

First of all, either all the red blood cells are completely separated out from the cord blood or in relative process it can even be left intact. The samples collected also need to be checked for viral or bacterial or fungal or any other microbial or infectious disease. After all it’s suitable testing is done to determine type of HLA is determined. After, cryopreservant is added to the sample in order to prevent the stem cells from dieing at the time of freezing. This sample is then cooled slowly to the temperature of -90 degree centigrade and then added to liquid nitrogen tank, at the temperature of about -200 degree centigrade.

There are several private and public stem cell blood banks in both developed and developing countries. The public blood bank needs to be intimated in about thirty fourth week of the pregnancy for the collection purposes.

The safety of the sample of such stem cells collected needs to be properly maintained, including the physical safety from natural disasters from enemy attacks, power failures, biological infections and all other sort of probable hazards.

If preserved properly, these samples could be stored easily for years and years. The publicly stored cord blood samples could be used in case of requirement by anyone in need subject to matching of the stem cells required. Also that even the partially or half matched cord blood samples can be transplanted into the person which gives it advantage over the bone marrow transplant which is the next best alternative, and also the bone marrow transplant is very painful and cumbersome than the stem cell transplant.

The family umbilical cord blood banking preservation is quite costly; however the public umbilical cord blood banking preservation is maintained and sponsored by government agencies.

The whole process and chain of this type of blood preservation is comes under the purview of control of “National Marrow Donor Program” (NMDP). The private cord blood banks are operated privately for the sake of the use of donated cord blood stem cells exclusively by the donor himself or by his family or by his other relatives.