cord blood banking

– Where does it all begin?

Hundreds of news articles and medical stories explain how an umbilical cord can save lives, but where does it all begin?

In a single miraculous moment of pairing, the egg and sperm create the first stem cell. Each stem cell carries the remarkable capability to develop into many different cell types in the body or continue to divide as stem cells.

– Stem Cells | A Repair System for the Body

Stem cells are often referred to as the “master cells” or the “building blocks” of blood, the immune system and organ tissue. This is because of their ability to serve as a repair system for the body, dividing and replenishing other cells. This means that stem cells can create tissue and can replace any cell within the body.

– Stem Cells | A Potentially Life-Saving Resource

Surprisingly, this potentially life-building and often lifesaving resource is usually discarded, together with after-birth waste. Only recently has it become more widely understood that saving the umbilical cord can recover a rich supply of stem cells that can be used for regenerating damaged tissues, such as brain, kidney liver or heart tissue, blood cells and more.

– Stem Cells | Regenerative Medicine

Stem cell treatments have applied this extraordinary capacity to treat a multitude of diseases and disorders. In the last 20 years, stem cells harvested by saving the umbilical cord have been the first step towards successfully treating dozens of life-threatening diseases including various cancers, sickle-cell anemia, blood and immunodeficiency disorders, bone marrow failure and genetic diseases.

Stem cells extracted from the umbilical cord can also be used in regenerative medicine, as shown in several clinical trials. Here, stem cells are evaluated for their ability to induce healing or regenerative cells to repair tissues. Children’s own cord blood stem cells are infused to help the body repair itself in cases such as cerebral palsy, autism and juvenile diabetes.

Numerous studies are increasing the number of diseases and disorders that can be treated, bringing new hope to patients and their families. As the list of stem cell applications in different therapy regimes increases, saving the umbilical cord resonates with even greater potential value.