Cord Blood: To Save Or Not?
Stem Cells From Umbilical Cords Can Treat Diseases, But Should
Parents Invest In Keeping Them?
Comments 13
NEW YORK, June 25, 2007
There are 26 private cord blood banks in the United States. (CBS)
Banking On Newborn Blood Cells
Because it is rich in stem cells, some parents are now deciding to
save the blood from their newborn baby's umbilical cord in special
blood banks.
The scientific advance sets off an ethical debate that rages on.
(CBS) These days pregnant mothers are asked a question barely heard
of ten years ago: Do you want to save your baby's umbilical cord
blood? This blood has stem cells with special properties that can
heal the body from diseases like leukemia. A new study Monday shows
their promise in treating type 1 diabetes.
But banking cord blood can be expensive for parents, Dr. Jon Lapook
reports.
James was six weeks old when he was diagnosed with leukemia and given
a 50-50 shot at survival.
"It's every parent's worst nightmare," said James' mother, Maura. "We
were in shock. We were devastated."
His best hope was a stem-cell transplant.
Fortunately, two years earlier, on a whim, his parents had saved his
sister's umbilical cord blood.
"Aileen was a perfect match," Maura said. "They said, `you hit the
lottery.'"
Parents looking for a medical safety net have turned private cord
blood banking into a multi-million dollar industry.
There are 26 private banks in the United States. After an initial fee
averaging $1,500, most banks charge $100 per year for storage. That
adds up to $3,500 by the time a child is 21 years old – a high price
tag for something you might not ever need.
There is another option that doesn't cost a penny: donating to a
public bank.
The donated cells are then available to any patient. But there's no
guarantee of donors getting their own cells back. Another problem:
fewer than 10 percent of hospitals offer cord blood collection, so
precious stem cells are going to waste.
If you don't donate those cells, what happens to them?
"They will go in the trash," said Pablo Rubinstein, director of the
New York City cord blood program.
Right now cord blood is mostly used to treat blood diseases. But
there's hope that someday, it will be used to treat heart disease and
diabetes.
For now, the odds of needing stem cells are one in 20,000.
The parents of James are glad they took those odds.
Their best moment, according to Maura, was "probably when we came
back from the hospital. And we were all together again."
Thanks to his sister Aileen, today 4-year-old James is considered
cured.
http://www.cbsnews.
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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