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An Important Factor in Cord Blood Collection
Monday, September 12th, 2011
For treatments that use cord blood stem cells, a key predictor of success is the number of stem cells that are available for transplant or infusion. That’s why ViaCord developed a state-of-the-art collection system to preserve the most cells possible – and why expectant parents should ask about and understand the collection process as they decide which cord blood company to bank with. One important factor to consider is the type of anticoagulant used in the cord blood collection.
After your child is born the umbilical cord blood that is left over will be drained into a collection bag. If cord blood alone were placed in the bag, the blood would quickly coagulate or clot, leaving most of its cells unusable. To prevent this, collection bags are pre-filled with an anticoagulant. This minimizes clotting while the blood is transported to the processing lab. But not all anticoagulants are created equal.
Categories: Cord Blood 101
Cord Blood Treatments Today – Thalassemia Major
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011
When we think of cord blood, we often think of its potential to be used in medical treatments that are still being developed. And that potential is enormous. But it’s important to remember that cord blood already plays a critical role in treating—and in some cases curing—dozens of serious diseases and disorders.
One of these diseases is beta thalassemia major, also known as Cooley’s anemia. Beta thalassemia major is an inherited blood disorder that occurs when the genes governing the production of hemoglobin—the protein in red blood cells that binds to oxygen and carries it throughout the body—are flawed.
More specifically, hemoglobin contains two proteins, an alpha protein and a beta protein. In people afflicted with beta thalassemia major, the hemoglobin doesn’t contain enough of the beta protein, which means the red blood cells can’t carry sufficient oxygen from the lungs to the body’s cells and tissues.
Categories: Cord Blood 101, Current Treatments, Transplants and Infusions
5 Helpful Tips for a Successful Cord Blood Collection
Tuesday, October 5th, 2010
Before you know it 40 weeks of waiting, 280 days of planning, and the big moment will finally come. You’ll find yourself at the hospital ready to deliver your baby!
So whether you’ll have lots of time to settle in and tuck your overnight bag in the corner with your ViaCord collection kit resting nearby, or you’re rushing in with that overnight bag flung over one arm and your collection kit under the other –we want to ensure that the process of collecting your baby’s cord blood goes as smoothly as possible.
Categories: Cord Blood 101, FAQs, Inside ViaCord
Availability of Public Banking
Thursday, September 16th, 2010
Public cord blood banks: evaluating the benefits and limitations
Today, public banks are an important resource for those patients who do not have access to a source of matched family stem cells. And many women want to donate their baby’s cord blood stem cells to a public bank to help provide life-saving treatments to people in need. It is a worthy cause so it’s important for pregnant women and their families to be fully informed about public cord blood donations before making a decision.
When a medical need for stem cells presents itself, a patient’s doctor will first look to family members to find a match. They may also access the National Marrow Donor Program’s (NMDP) Be The Match ® registry – an inventory of stem cell sources potentially available to be used in transplant. Even with this resource every year 10,000 people do not find an immediate match and must wait for a match in order to receive a stem cell transplant. 1
Categories: Cord Blood 101, Public Banking
Finding a Match – Knowing the Difference between Related and Non-related Stem Cells
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Stem cells have been used in transplant medicine with much success for the last 40 years. Since 1988, stem cells from umbilical cord blood have played a critical role in that success. Growing numbers of expectant parents are donating children’s cord blood or enrolling in family banking, based on the profound potential in cord blood stem cells.
In the event those stem cells are needed for allogeneic transplant, a successful outcome is largely dependent on finding a compatible match from a donor who can be related, like a sibling, or of no relation at all. When a patient is in need the determination of who the donor will be is based on tissue matching. Understanding the basics of tissue matching is key to making an informed decision about what to do with your baby’s cord blood.
Categories: Cord Blood 101, Transplants and Infusions
How Does it Match Up? Success Rates and Cord Blood Transplants
Thursday, August 26th, 2010
If your child needs a stem cell treatment, there is nothing more important than a successful outcome. Stem cell transplants are often used in medical situations where success means survival. Many factors can impact survival rate, including the source of the stem cells. Are they from bone marrow or cord blood? Are they from a relative or an unrelated donor? And does that donor provide the best possible HLA match?
Playing the matchmaker
A successful allogeneic transplant of cord blood or bone marrow starts with a successful match of tissue type. Located on the cells in your body are antigens that act as markers. These markers allow the body to recognize/distinguish self cells and foreign cells. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing is used to match these markers in the donor to the recipient.
The match criteria is determined by the transplant doctor for each unique medical case – a perfect match is always the goal. The better the match, the less likely it is a donor’s cells will attack a patient’s cells after transplant (also known as Graft vs. Host disease (GVHD). According…
Categories: Cord Blood 101