Benefits of Cord Blood & Tissue Banking

Stem cells are the body’s master cells. They create our organs, tissues, blood and immune system. Saving the stem cells from your newborn’s umbilical cord provides your family with the benefit of having access to both the lifesaving qualities of cord blood and the potential future uses of cord tissue that are in research stages.

The power to heal

As a parent, protecting your growing family is a top priority. You can take the first step by saving – or "banking" – your newborn's cord blood. It's a one-time opportunity that can be lifesaving or life-changing for your family.

Cord blood is the blood that remains in your newborn's umbilical cord after birth. It contains valuable stem cells that can be used in a variety of medical treatments, such as regenerating healthy blood and immune cells after chemotherapy.

What Makes Cord Blood Stem Cells So Valuable?

Stem cells are the body's building blocks for organ tissue, blood, and the immune system. Doctors started using cord blood stem cells more than 20 years ago to treat diseases that previously had been treated with bone marrow.³⁴ Today, the primary type of stem cells in umbilical cord blood – called hematopoietic - help treat many serious illnesses and disorders. Cord blood stem cells can only be collected at birth, so it is important to make your banking decision well before your due date.

Cord Blood Stem Cells, in Particular, Are:

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  Smart: They "know" how to find injured cells and tissue in the body and initiate a healing process.
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  Powerful: The primary type of stem cells in cord blood can cure many life-threatening illnesses. These stem cells and a different kind found in cord tissue may also be able to treat serious injuries.
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  Unique: Your baby's one-of-a-kind umbilical cord stem cells have unique advantages over the adult stem cells found in bone marrow. They're younger, more versatile, and have not been exposed to environmental factors.³⁵

Stem Cells' Regenerative Potential

Cord blood stem cells are used to treat many life-threatening diseases, such as leukemia and other cancers. In addition, cord blood is showing potential in research to treat conditions that have no cure today. This exciting new area of medicine is called regenerative medicine, where scientists are evaluating the use of a child's own cord blood stem cells in experimental treatments for brain injury, cerebral palsy, and hearing loss.

Simple, Safe, Painless

The collection procedure is safe for both mother and baby, usually takes less than five minutes, and can be performed after vaginal or C-section births. After the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut, the remaining blood in the umbilical cord is drawn into a collection bag. If you choose to not bank your baby's cord blood, it will be discarded after birth. Cord blood stem cells are not embryonic stem cells and are notcontroversial.