For treatments that use cord blood stem cells, a key predictor of success is the number of stem cells that are available for transplant or infusion. That’s why ViaCord developed a state-of-the-art collection system to preserve the most cells possible – and why expectant parents should ask about and understand the collection process as they decide which cord blood company to bank with. One important factor to consider is the type of anticoagulant used in the cord blood collection.
After your child is born the umbilical cord blood that is left over will be drained into a collection bag. If cord blood alone were placed in the bag, the blood would quickly coagulate or clot, leaving most of its cells unusable. To prevent this, collection bags are pre-filled with an anticoagulant. This minimizes clotting while the blood is transported to the processing lab. But not all anticoagulants are created equal.
Like nearly all other family and public cord blood banks, ViaCord uses an anticoagulant called liquid citrate phosphate dextrose (CPD). Another type of anticoagulant used in some cord blood collection bags is called dry heparin. It pays for expectant parents to know the difference between the two and the impact those differences may have on the cord blood collection. At the end of the day, when treating patients, the more stem cells a physician has access to, the better the chances are for a successful treatment.
Let’s start with liquid CPD. CPD is a combination of agents –primarily derived from salts and sugars. It packs a double punch by acting as an anticoagulant preventing clotting as well as a cell preservative. CPD is approved by the FDA for cord blood collection and has been shown to have the lowest toxicity to stem cells. This explains why U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidelines recommend that only citrate-based anticoagulants like CPD are used to collect cord blood. It also illuminates why CPD is the industry standard and considered the preferred choice among leaders and experts in the field.
As an anticoagulant, CPD is free of animal byproduct; heparin is not. Unlike CPD, heparin has not received FDA approval for use as a cord blood collection agent and is not recommended by cord blood transplant experts.
When considering which company – and, in turn, which anticoagulant – to use, parents should know that research comparing cell counts from cord blood units collected in CPD versus those collected with dry heparin showed the CPD units contained significantly more viable stem cells than those collected with dry heparin. A greater number of cord blood stem cells used in transplant improves speed of recovery, engraftment, and survival in patients.1
These superior results are why ViaCord chooses to use CPD in its innovative collection bag, which took more than two years to create, is FDA approved, and is specifically designed to maximize collection volume and minimize contamination. Using CPD helps us give families the peace of mind that comes from knowing that, if they ever need their stem cells for treatment, they’ll have the best chance of success.
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