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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
Stem Cell Use – What are the Odds?
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010![babies5iStock_000010072649XSmall[1]](http://www.blog.viacord.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/babies5iStock_000010072649XSmall1-300x76.jpg "babies5iStock_000010072649XSmall[1]")
When parents are deciding whether to bank their children’s cord blood stem cells for family use, many consider when – if ever – they’ll be needed. Because a decision made today can have a significant impact on tomorrow, it’s important to know the facts about stem cell usage.
Although need can never be predicted absolutely, doctors and parents can evaluate reasonable odds and make informed decisions by considering:
- historical data and stem cell transplantation trends;
- current research; and
- stem cell impact on future medicine.
Current Uses: What historical data and trends indicate for potential use.
According to clinical data published by a group of independent scientists, at least one in every 1,666 people will need a hematopoietic stem cell transplant by age 20 and one in 217 by age 70.1
Categories: Cord Blood 101
Cord Blood Treatments – Autologous Transplants & Infusions
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
In a recent blog post, we discussed allogeneic transplants and how they can be used to help treat a number of diseases. But did you know that autologous treatments, using a child’s own cord blood, can also help treat some of those same diseases, and are also on the forefront of a new and exciting area of research?
There are multiple applications for autologous treatments:
* In an autologous transplant a child’s own cord blood stem cells are transplanted back into that child to help treat some cancers, such as neuroblastoma and brain cancer. Autologous transplants require a pre-transplant conditioning regimen like alleogeneic transplants. They can also be used to treat acquired blood disorders, as opposed to blood disorders that are genetic. For example, complications from an organ transplant may result in acquired aplastic anemia. The child’s own cord blood could then be used to treat the acquired condition.
* In an autologous re-infusion a child’s own cord blood stem cells are re-infused into that child to help repair and re-grow cells that may be damaged. This emerging field of medicine is directed at treatments…
Categories: Cord Blood 101, Emerging Treatments, Transplants and Infusions
Cord Blood Treatments – Allogeneic Transplants
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
From online pregnancy forums to feedback from customers and expecting moms, one thing is clear to us—the topic of cord blood can be confusing. With so much information available (and some of it conflicting), it can be hard for families to get the facts they need to make an informed choice about banking their baby’s cord blood. Today, we’re shedding some light on one commonly misunderstood topic—how cord blood is used in a stem cell treatment.
To start, there are two primary types of stem cell treatments:
- Allogeneic transplants, which occur when the patient receives stem cells from an unrelated or related (family member) donor.
- Autologous transplants and infusions, which use the patient’s own stem cells for treatment.
Today’s post focuses on allogeneic transplants and how siblings can play an important role. As parents we often think of hushing late night conversations, fights over toys and the inevitable “he hit me first!” squabbles when we think about siblings. But when it comes to allogeneic transplants, a sibling can go from a rival to a savior.
Categories: Cord Blood 101, Transplants and Infusions
An Overview of Stem Cells
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
If you had to summarize the value of a stem cell in one word, it would be potential. This is because stem cells hold extraordinary potential – they are not only the building blocks of our organs, tissues, blood and immune system, they also have the ability to develop into different cell types in the human body.
Unlike any other cell in the human body, stem cells have three unique and remarkable characteristics. Stem cells are unspecialized, can divide and renew themselves without differentiating and in certain circumstances, a stem cell can also become a specialized cell in a process known as differentiation. This unique ability for stem cells to divide, differentiate and specialize is what makes stem cells invaluable in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. To learn more about how stem cells work, visit the National Institute of Health’s introduction to stem cells.
Categories: Cord Blood 101
Cord Blood Banking: The Importance of Education
Friday, May 7th, 2010
As the science of stem cell medicine continues to advance, education and objective information about cord blood banking is more important than ever.Public and physician education around stem cells and cord blood banking is woefully inadequate. Many do not know what options are available to them, public or family banking. The Institute of Medicine and cord blood legislation in approximately 20 states call for Ob-GYNs to educate expecting families on the options for their newborn’s cord blood stem cells. Leaders in stem cell science, such as ViaCord, have a responsibility to bridge this gap by working with OB/GYNs who are the best source of information on cord blood banking. Moreover, education is a collective job for the entire industry, including family banks, public banks, research institutions and the medical community.
When considering options for your newborn’s cord blood, it’s important to understand the following:
Categories: Cord Blood 101, Inside ViaCord, Trends in Healthcare