What is Stem Cell Banking and What are Its Benefits?

Stem cell banking or preservation is a combined process of extraction, processing and storage of stem cells, so that they may be used for treatment of various medical conditions in the future, when required. Stem cells have the amazing power to get transformed into any tissue or organ in the body. In recent days, stem cells are used to treat variety of life-threatening diseases such as blood and bone marrow diseases, blood cancers, and immune disorders among others.

Stem cells are used in the treatment of almost 80 debilitating diseases & have also been used in over 30,000 transplants of different kinds. In case your child contracts any disease, that has to be treated with radiation or chemotherapy, there are chances that it will impact his/her immune system negatively. If you have banked your child’s stem cells and cord tissue, these could be used to very effectively bolster & repopulate the blood & immune system of your child.

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In many instances, matched stem cells, that are required for transplant, are very difficult to obtain as the matching requirements are very strict. However, your child’s cord stem cells are and always will be the perfect lifetime match for her/him. Apart from this, there is also a chance that stem cells will be a 25% match for a sibling and there is a 50% chance of them being a partial match. When genetically-related stem cells are used to treat a disease, it often results in very successful transplants and there are also much fewer complications for any blood-related family member.

Stem cells also have a very high rate of engraftment and they are much more tolerant of HLA mismatches compared to bone marrow transplants. This aspect results in a notably reduced rate of Graft-Versus-Host Disease, post a transplant. The current day medical space is advancing at a very rapid pace and we live in a world where regenerative medicine is being widely researched and studied. Stem cells are being used to treat diseases that are unrelated to the immune or blood system.

The Process

·         Most stem cell banks provide online registration functionality

·         Once the registration process has been completed, you get an Umbilical Cord Collection Kit. This has to be retained very carefully till the time of delivery

·         The doctor has to be kept informed about the decision of preserving your child’s stem cells

·         The kit has to be carried to the hospital at the time of delivery

·         It is important that the stem cells be collected within 10 minutes post the delivery

·         All doctors are aware of the stem cell collection process

·         If you need the help of the stem cell bank for the collection, they have to be given a couple of hours of notice and they help with the process

The key players influencing the market are Cordlife, ViaCord (A Subsidiary of PerkinElmer), Cryo-Save AG, StemCyte India Therapeutics Pvt. Ltd., Cryo-Cell International, Inc., SMART CELLS PLUS, Vita 34, LifeCell, Global Cord Blood Corporation, CBR Systems, Inc.

Source: The Insight Partners and anandlab