Cord Blood Collection: Frequently Asked Questions at the Best Cord Blood Banks

Stem cells are cells that can mature into a variety of different types of cells. The umbilical cord blood is rich in hematopoietic stem cells while the umbilical cord tissue contains an excellent source of Mesenchymal stem cells.  Modern medical research has found ways to use both types of stem cells to treat a wide range of different diseases and conditions.

3) Does Collecting Cord Blood Hurt the Baby or the Mother?

No, collecting cord blood does not affect the baby or mother at all. Cord blood is only collected after your baby is born, the cord is clamped and cut away from the baby and the mother has delivered the placenta.

4) Why Do Parents Choose to Store Their Baby’s Cord Blood?

There are a number of different diseases that can be treated using cord. When a baby’s cord blood is stored, you can guarantee that the baby has it’s own perfect match, and first and second degree relatives may also benefit from having a related donor bank their cells.

5) What Diseases Can Be Treated Using Cord Blood?

Right now, there are more than 80 metabolic disorders, immunodeficiency and bone marrow deficiency diseases with treatments that use stem cells found in cord blood and cord tissue. Scientific and medical research is ongoing & more treatments that use stem cells are continually being developed at a rapid pace.  We have listed out many of the diseases here: List of Diseases Cord Blood can Treat

6) How Long Can Cord Blood Be Stored?

Due to the extremely cold environment, the health of the cells remains viable for a very long time. Current studies support that these cells maintain their viability & function well over 20 years and counting.  HealthBanks is proud to be the only private cord blood bank to offer clients the option to store their precious stem cells in either the affordable, manual Dewars storage tank or the automated, state-of-the-art BioArchive® system.

The BioArchive® system is an FDA-approved medical device which is an automated cryogenic storage system where stem cells are preserved in a tank full of liquid nitrogen at -196 Celsius for safe keeping.  No other private cord blood bank offers this state-of-the-art automated technology.  The unique automation system of the BioArchive allows it to control the freezing rate of the cord blood stem cells down to -196 Celsius as well as minimizes temperature fluctuations while being stored.  With HealthBanks, our client’s precious stem cells are our top priority.

7) How is Cord Blood Collected?

After enrolling with HealthBanks, the HealthBanks team will provide all materials and guide you through the process for collecting & transporting your baby’s precious cells to our in-house laboratory in Irvine, CA.  Following receipt of your collection kit, notify your delivery team that you want the cord blood/tissue collected at birth using our collection kit.  Then take your collection kit to the hospital with you when you deliver your baby. The healthcare professionals at the hospital will take care of the rest. They will collect the cord blood/tissue and return the sample collection container back into the collection kit. The healthcare team will also collect blood from mom for testing and fills out the appropriate collection and medical screening paperwork for both cord and mother’s samples.  All contents of the kit are then picked up and transported directly to HealthBanks, recognized as one of the best cord blood banks by BioInformant.

Choosing the Best Cord Blood Bank

There are a number of cord blood banks to choose from, but not all of them rank among the Cord Blood Banksin the world.  FORBES has placed HealthBanks in the Top 5 in the world. At HealthBanks, our team pride ourselves on leading the industry with cutting-edge technology & adhere to incredibly high regulatory and quality standards. In fact, we back our work with a $50,000 engraftment guarantee. For more details, please check out our website at www.healthbanks.us.