Cord Blood Banking - A Baby’s Boon

Cord blood banking, also known as stem cell banking is an upcoming trend which is slowly but steadily catching up in urban India. Advocated by doctors and researchers worldwide; it involves the collection of a baby’s umbilical cord blood at birth and its storage at around -196 degree Celsius using liquid nitrogen by a technique called as cryopreservation. The process requires around 75 ml of blood and is harmless to both the baby and the mother.

The reason this blood is so precious is due to the fact that cord blood is a rich source of fresh and undamaged haematopoietic or blood forming stem cells. This along with the mesenchymal stem cells found in the umbilical cord tissue can act as precursors of a variety of body tissues. Thus, under controlled conditions, these stem cells can be induced to form a particular type of tissue and thus protect the baby from a number of potentially life threatening conditions. Currently, stem cell therapy has been established to have definite value in the treatment of leukaemias, lymphomas,  thalassemia,  Fanconi’s  anaemia, aplastic anaemia, disorders of the immune system, multiple myeloma, certain metabolic disorders, malignancies such as retinoblastoma, Ewing’s sarcoma etc...

Also various clinical trials across the world have shown promise in the use of stem cell therapy for the management of conditions such as type I Diabetes, Alzheimer’s  disease, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis etc. to name a few.

However stem cell banking is a very costly affair and hence is beyond the reach of most parents. Typically, the sample is stored for 20 years at most centres and further storage involves more monetary expenditure along with the possibility of decreased viability and effectiveness of the stem cells. Also, ethical issues question the act of private cord blood banking as opposed to public banking. Although private banking could benefit the baby and possibly a sibling or parent, the actual chances of the stem cells being used over a lifetime are not very high and hence, the procedure may be more beneficial and practical for families with a definite history of genetic  or metabolic conditions. As opposed to this; in public banking, an unrelated individual may benefit from these stem cells subject to matching of tissue.

To sum it up, stem cell banking is undeniably a wonderful breakthrough in the field of medicine. The long term results of this treatment modality remain to be seen. When used in an appropriate manner, it can definitely save a child or an adult from an otherwise untimely death. The future will probably see more and more conditions coming under the protective spectrum of stem cell therapy. Research in the field of regenerative medicine also looks towards stem cells as a promising therapeutic option. Thus, in the decades to come, umbilical cord blood banking and cord tissue banking may even become a routine procedure across the world. For the time being however, it remains a desirable but exclusive safeguard affordable only to a lucky few.