The cord blood banking is increasing rapidly and umbilical cord blood is rich in hematopoietic stem cells. It involves the collection, processing, and storage of blood that comes from the umbilical cord and placenta after childbirth. This blood has the ability to develop into various types of blood and immune system cells. These stem cells are more used in the treatment of blood-related disorders. Hematopoietic stem cells are used in the conditions like leukemia, lymphoma, anemia, and other blood diseases. Apart from its benefits, it also comes with certain problems and risks. Cord blood banking shows fast advancement in the field of medicine, which gives a valuable source for treating critical cases. It also supports ongoing medical research.
What is Cord Blood Banking in India?
Cord blood banking is a medical procedure which includes the collection, processing, and storing of the blood. This blood is obtained from the umbilical cord and placenta after childbirth. These cells have the ability to develop into various types of blood cells like RBCs, WBCs, and platelets. Hematopoietic stem cells are mainly used during the treatment of critical situation diseases. Doctors have successfully used these cells in the treatment of more than 80 blood diseases. The main benefit of these blood cells is that they have lower risk of rejection than adult stem cells. This reduces the risks of critical conditions like graft versus host disease, etc. There are two types of cord blood banking that are private banking and public banking.
Private Banking
Private cord blood banking is for only the child or their family in the future. It is the perfect genetic match for the child and also a partial match for the siblings or the family members. It is beneficial during transplantation because it reduces the risks of complications such as GVHD. But it also has some limitations. For example, if the child needs their own blood but it is relatively low, then it is not suitable for treatment. In addition, this banking is a little expensive which includes initial collection and process fees with annual storage costs.
Public Cord Blood Banking
This banking is a medical procedure in which medical professionals collect the blood from a child’s umbilical cord and then donate it for public use. In public cord blood banking, parents voluntarily donate their newborn’s cord blood to hospitals or public banks. The advantage of this cord blood bank is that it promotes easy access to those patients who have life threatening conditions. When the parents hand over the cord blood’s ownership to the doctors, then they cannot reclaim it later for their need. It also contributes to medical research for new therapies in regenerative medicine.
Process of Cord Blood Collection
Cord blood collection is a safe, simple, and painless process that occurs after childbirth and does not affect the baby or mother. This is performed immediately after childbirth. When the baby is delivered, doctors cut the umbilical cord with the help of clamps and separate the child from the placenta. Then, they insert a sterile needle in the umbilical vein attached to the placenta. Then, the blood flows and deposits in the sterile collection bag around 150 ml. After the blood collection, the medical staff marks the bag with identification details. Medical experts send the blood bag to the cord blood bank for testing under controlled temperature conditions. Blood samples go through several medical tests, such as cell count, infectious disease, etc. After the testing, doctors separate and freeze stem cells at low temperature in liquid nitrogen for storage.
Use of Cord Blood Banking
Hematopoietic stem cells are used in the treatment of more than eighty blood diseases till now. They have the ability to develop into various types of blood and immune system cells. They are used in:
- Leukemia
- Lymphoma
- Bone Marrow Failure
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Immune disorders like Wiskott Aldrich syndrome, SCID, etc.
Benefits of Banking Cord Blood
Cord blood bank collects & stores blood cells for future medical use. This has helped in the treatment of many diseases and provides benefits in the treatment. Take a look at the benefits of cord blood banking:
- Cord blood is used to treat blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.
- Public blood banking helps many people in the treatment of life-threatening diseases.
- Private blood banking is useful for family members only if one needs it for stem cell transplant.
- The process of blood collection is painless and safe.
- Cord Blood reduces the chances of Graft versus host disease.
- Used in the treatment of genetic disorders.
- Used in medical practices like brain injuries, autism, etc.
- Cells are stored for a longer period of time and have the same ability as before.
Cost of Cord Blood Banking in India
The cost of cord blood banking usually ranges from INR 50,000 to INR 2,00,000. Storage of cord blood depends on various factors, such as:
- Storage Timeline
- Location
- Reputation and facilities of hospitals.
Cost Breakdown:
| Package | Average Cost in INR |
| Basic Package | INR 20,000 – INR 80,000 |
| Storage Plan (Annually)- Additional | INR 4,000 – INR 10,000 |
| Lifetime Storage | INR 1,00,000 – INR 2,00,000 |
| Combined Cord Blood & Tissue | INR 70,000 – 1,50,000 |
Note: The cost of this medical process is just an estimate, it depends on different factors.
Who Should Consider Cord Blood Banking?
- Families who have medical history of certain diseases like leukemia, thalassemia, lymphoma, etc. Then, in this case, you should store cord blood for future use.
- If you already know about the genetic disorders or inherited conditions, then storing cord blood can be useful for future treatment.
- Some parents opt for biological insurance whether there is risk or not. In this case, they can store their child’s cord blood.
- Families who can easily afford private cord blood banking, and if it does not hamper their financial cost, can proceed with it. Private cord blood banking includes initial fees and yearly fees together.
Risks & Limitations of Cord Blood Banking
Cord blood banking is a safe, painless medical procedure but it has some risks or limitations:
- Sometimes, a child is not able to use their own cord blood during treatment because the cells consist of the same genetic problems.
- There may be chances that cord blood stem cells may be enough for a child but not for adult patients.
- Hematopoietic stem cells takes longer period of time than bone marrow to engraft. This can result in infection after transplant.
- The chances of the use of cord blood are low. Many families pay higher amount for the storage even they do not utilise it.
- Less amount of blood volume collected after childbirth can reduce the chances of successful collection.
- Private cord blood banks depend on accreditation and storage standards, so parents should choose certified and accredited banks.
Conclusion
Cord blood banking shows advancement in modern medicine which has helped in the treatment of more than 80 blood and immune diseases till now. With the help of this blog, you can learn about its uses, benefits, disadvantages, etc. Cord blood banking of hematopoietic stem cells can help a patient who is going through life-threatening blood-related diseases. Correct use of a newborn’s cord blood can help in someone’s life, whether it is a family member or a stranger.
