What Is Cord Blood?

• Cord blood is the blood found in the umbilical cord and placenta after the birth of a baby. This blood can be used to treat life-threatening conditions such as leukemia, because it is filled with stem cells that can eventually become blood cells. Cord blood is collected after the baby is delivered and the umbilical cord is clamped. This causes no discomfort to the baby or the mother. The blood can be donated to a public cord blood bank or stored for the family to use if necessary at a future point. Not all hospitals are able to collect and store the cord blood, so make sure you choose one that can if this is important to you.
  
  

How Transplants Work

• Patients who suffer from blood disorders or leukemia can be treated with a cord blood transplant. Because of the limited amount of blood-forming cells in a unit of cord blood, it is most frequently used to treat children suffering from one of these diseases. Prior to the transplant, some patients are given chemotherapy and radiation therapy to prepare the body for the transplant by destroying the diseased cells in the body. Then, once the therapy is over, the cord blood is infused through a Hickman catheter, a central line that is inserted into a vein in the chest. The cells enter the bones and replace the diseased bone marrow. Once they grow sufficiently, the new cells should begin making new blood cells. It takes up to 30 days for the cells to begin to make new blood cells, a process that is called engraftment.
  
  

Benefits of Cord Blood Transplants

• When compared to other sources of stem cells, cord blood transplantation carries many benefits. Because the cells are immature, the need for a perfect tissue match between the donor blood and the patient is eliminated. Also, the blood sample has less risk of contamination, as it comes from pregnant mothers, who tend to be at lower risk for blood-borne viruses and diseases. The immature cells also place the recipient at a lower risk of graft-versus-host disease, a common disease affecting transplant patients, which often leads to death. Finally, cord blood is not needed after birth, so if enough women choose to bank their cord blood, it can be readily available for transplant, which stands in contrast to the need for a human donor who is willing to undergo the procedure when seeking bone marrow transplants. Research is currently underway to explore the potential for using cord blood transplantation more effectively with adult patients.