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The science, technology, and services of cord blood banking.

Cord Blood Banking

The preservation of your newborn's stem cells, which allows you to have your baby's cord blood saved for potential medical uses to treat life-threatening diseases. If you do not choose to bank your baby’s cord blood, it will be discarded after birth.

Why are Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells Worth Saving?

"Stem cells are immature cells that can both reproduce themselves and have the potential to turn into other types of cells. There are several types. The ones in umbilical cord blood and bone marrow are called hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), according to WebMD."

No one debates that cord blood cells can be lifesaving. "Cord blood is a proven, effective source of blood-forming stem cells for people with certain diseases," Stephen Feig, professor of pediatrics at UCLA, tells WebMD.



Cord Blood Stem Cells In The News

A Californian Woman's Life Saved by Cord Blood Stem Cells
As reported by Fox News

Woman was diagnosed with leukemia after she battled breast cancer. She then decided to undergo a treatment with umbilical cord blood stem cells – and the procedure saved her life, KNSD-TV reported.

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Cord Blood Banking Resources

About the show: At the hospital, a family was having a baby in order to save their twin toddlers who have leukemia, but their newborn's blood cell count is low, which prevents the baby from saving both twins. It turns out that the dad can save one.

http://abc.go.com/shows/private-practice

Interesting story line when considering tht saving cord blood stem cells does involve getting the most out of a collection. More newborn cord blood stem cells matter.

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According to study results published in Cell Transplantation, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from human umbilical cord blood reduced injury and inflammation in animal models of neonatal lung damage caused by bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

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Full Story - Nature Medicine:  First successful use of expanded umbilical-cord blood units to treat leukemia

The first successful use of a newborn stem cells from umbilical cord blood in the treatment of leukemia was published in the recent edition of Nature Medicine. Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have cleared a major technical hurdle to making umbilical-cord-blood transplants a more widely-used method for treating leukemia and other blood cancers.

 

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This NBC news segment highlights two cerebral palsy patients - Emma Jabs and Alyssa Dupuis - who, after undergoing reinfusions of their own cord blood stem cells, are experiencing positive results.  

 

Additional segments, highlighting work underway by Cytori Therapeutics using stem cells from fat tissue for cosmetic applications and one focusing on research underway at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to understand how stem cells impact diseases like cancer and cystic fibrosis.

Airs:  January 9, 2010 on Channel: KNTV NBC-11 (SF Bay Area)
8pm  PST (following NFL Football)
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The leading cord blood banking company, Cord Blood Registry, recently launched their Facebook fan page.

Cord Blood Registry on Facebook

Cord Blood Banking Information

 

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In a just-released book on pregnancy that is getting a lot of attention, bestselling authors Dr. Mehmet Oz -- who Oprah calls “America’s Doctor” -- and Dr. Michael Roizen highlight the value of cord blood stem cells and recommend that expectant parents save this important medical resource. 

The newly released book, YOU: Having a Baby, is the latest of the popular “YOU” series of books which focus on the science of the body in a clear, compelling, and easy-to-understand manner (YOU: On a Diet, YOU: Staying Young, etc.). 

Full Article

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An intravenous method of injecting stem cells into patients who had experienced heart attacks within the previous 10 days suggested that this method works to repair -- not just manage -- heart damage, a recent study found.

The study is a step forward in a field in which a lot of approaches have been tried in animals and preliminary human trials, but none has been approved for widespread clinical use for heart patients.

"Many patients who have a heart attack will go on to suffer heart failure," said Jeffrey Karp, a researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, who runs a stem cell biology lab at Harvard University. "It's imperative to try and fix the root of the problem as quickly as possible."

Full article at CNN

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Complete Article Here 

CBR recently processed and stored the newborn stem cells from the cord blood of its 300,000th client.  This is a milestone that’s important not just because of its sheer size, but, more importantly, because of what it means for CBR’s leadership role in advancing regenerative medicine.

A population of 300,000 people is equivalent to a mid-sized U.S. city like New Orleans, Pittsburgh or Tampa.   What happens to the children in cities of this size can also happen to the children whose parents made the decision to entrust the preservation of their child’s newborn stem cells with CBR.

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The Cord Blood Education Center passed a milestone in cord blood banking education by educating over 500,000 pregnant parents and healthcare professional on cord blood banking options. Understanding the importance of newborn stem cells is at the heart of state and federal legislation, providing new parents with the information necessary to make an informed choice about their newborn's cord blood.

Cordbloodeducationcenter.com

Chloe Levine was born seemingly perfect — she was the happy and healthy baby her parents had dreamed of.

But by the time she was 9 months old, Chloe was not reaching the milestones her older sister Shayla had met at that age.

The Levines remembered they had banked stem cells from Chloe’s umbilical cord at her birth, and wondered if they could be used to help treat her.

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Cord Blood Awareness Month is sponsored by a society of the American Hospital Association and strives to empower expectant parents to make an informed choice regarding their options to save their newborn's cord blood stem cells.

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North Carolina is the 22nd state to institute legislation about cord blood education, guided by recommendations first issued by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2004.

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Citing the United States, where hospitals are obliged to mention to parents the option of storing their newborn's cord blood, Deputy Shatter, who is a solicitor, warned that there could be legal liability in the future that the HSE and public hospitals prevented patients from undergoing the process.

Full story: Irish Medical News - Cord Blood Banking Piece

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THE Inner Wheel Club of Albury will hit the streets on Friday to rally support for Coin for a Cord Day.

 

 Marcia Armstrong displays some of the merchandise available. Picture: GLENN HENDERSON

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Bringing together leaders and experts in the field of cord blood stem cell research and regenerative medicine

Cutting edge leaders from around the world, in the field of umbilical cord blood stem cell research and regenerative medicine, will join us to promote, inform and educate attendees on up to the minute successes and advances in cord blood research. These key voices will convene to share information that will shape the future direction of progress in cord blood banking and advances in patient treatments.

Banking on Life: Cord Blood Stem Cells...

 

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