Umbilical cord blood can potentially be collected every time a baby is born. This blood contains life-giving stem cells. The stem cells found in cord blood have been used to treat numerous diseases, and the list of what these stem cells can help with keeps growing as researchers discover new and more effective ways to use them.

Since the first cord blood smart cellstransplant in 1988, there have been over 20,000 transplants.

Many parents these days are choosing to have their baby’s umbilical cord blood frozen and stored as a future source of stem cells. This article looks at the different ways in which blood and stem cell samples are stored.

The process of having your baby’s umbilical cord blood collected, processed in a laboratory and kept in frozen storage is a relatively new one. The idea is that the whole blood containing the stem cells or the extracted stem cells themselves are available for future use if the child needs any medical treatments which require them. Although some treatments such as those for sickle cell disease, leukemia and Hodgkin’s disease already use these cells, the idea is to also have a stock of compatible cells that can be used in treatments yet to be developed. Since the use of this type of cell for medical treatments is the subject of much current research, the likelihood of new treatments becoming available in the future is high. These future treatments have the potential to offer cures for diseases, injuries and conditions that are incurable today.

The collection and storage process starts just after birth when the umbilical cord blood collection kit supplied by the storage company is used by one of the medical professionals to safely and painlessly collect the blood from the cord. This sample is then transported to the storage company’s laboratory for processing. Some companies will extract the stem cells from the cord blood before freezing the sample, whereas others freeze the whole blood.

When should I make a decision?

Smart Cells’ aim is to ensure every expectant parent is able to make an informed choice about the storage of their baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells. We recommend you make your decision on storing your baby’s stem cells as soon as possible.

Why should I store my baby’s cord blood cells?

Umbilical cord blood stem cells are potential life-savers, and in the future the application of these cells could be widespread. The priority today is to process and store these cells for future use - whether it be for tried and tested therapy, such as leukaemia, or for medical breakthrough applications in the future.