| Why Should I
Preserve My Baby's Cord Blood? |
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During pregnancy, the umbilical cord is the lifeline
between mother and baby. Once the umbilical cord is discarded after your
baby's birth, you lose the chance to preserve the precious cells it
contains that are an exact match for your child. By preserving your
baby's stem cells, he or she will have a guaranteed source of perfectly
matched cells in the event a life threatening illness develops and the
cells need to be used to combat the disease.
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| What Is The
Difference Between A Stem Cell Transplant And Bone Marrow Transplant? |
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Until now, the most common way to transfer stem cells
from one person to another has been through bone marrow transplantation,
which is a complex and risky procedure. Cord blood- a richer source of
stem cells than bone marrow- eliminates many of the problems associated
with bone marrow transplants should your child or other family member
ever need such a treatment in their lifetime. With your child's own cord
blood stem cells readily available, you do not have to look for a
suitable match for your child, a painful bone marrow extraction
procedure will not be necessary, and the transplant may not be rejected.
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| What Diseases Can
Be Treated/Cured Through The Transplantation Of Stem Cells? |
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Stem cells are used today in the treatment of leukemia,
breast cancer, lymphoma, Hodgkin's Disease, Aplastic Anemia, Sickle Cell
Anemia, various other cancers, blood diseases, hereditary/genetic
conditions and immune system disorders. There are approximately 1.4
million new cancer cases each year. As stem cell transplants become
routine, they may be used to fight lung cancer, Multiple Sclerosis,
Lupus, AIDS and many genetic diseases.
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| If There Is A
Family History Of Disease, Such As Leukemia, Would It Be In The
Newborn's Genes? If So, Would Stem Cell Transplantation From The Cord
Blood Still Be An Effective Way To Treat The Disease? |
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Leukemia is not present at the beginning of life, but
is developed by mutation or change in normal genes later in life. Stem
cells in cord blood are "pure" cells, and are collected before any
changes have occurred in their genetic make-up. In the case of other
types of cancers (e.g. solid tumors), stem cells are not involved and
can be used for transplantation.
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| Can The Baby's Stem
Cells Be Used For A Sibling? Can They Also Be Used For A Relative Or
Friend? |
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Stem cells from a baby are a perfect match only for the
baby or for an identical twin, and may be a close match for a sibling
(1:4 chance). They can be used for a relative or friend if their cells
closely match the baby's cells.
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| When And How Do You
Collect The Cord Blood Stem Cells? |
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The collection process takes place after delivery when
the cord has been separated from your newborn infant. In no way does it
interfere with the birth of your baby. Your attending physician, nurse
or midwife collects the cord blood utilizing a sterile kit provided by
Cord Partners Blood Center. The collected cord blood is sealed in a
specially designed package and delivered to our laboratory for testing
and processing. Finally, the sample is cryogenically stored until it
needs to be retrieved.
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| How Safe Is This
For My Baby And Me? Will Either Of Us Feel Any Pain Or Discomfort? |
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The first priority is the care and well being of the
baby. Stem cell extraction is very safe because the blood is collected
after the cord has been separated from your baby. Neither you nor your
baby will feel anything since this procedure is only done after the cord
has been detached. A blood sample will also be drawn from the mother.
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| How Many And What
Tests Are Done On The Blood Samples? |
| These are unique to Cord Partners, Inc.,
contracted laboratory Community Blood Services of Bergen County NJ |
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The FDA requires eight tests to be performed on the mother's blood and
the cord blood. We conduct all eight tests and an additional three
tests; one for bacterial contaminants to make sure that the product from
the cord blood is sterile, and the other two to determine the number and
viability of stem cells in the cord blood.
- ABO/Rh - used to determine the blood type of the donor.
- ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) - used in the diagnosis and
treatment of hepatic disease, heart disease and hepatotoxicity of some
drugs.
- CHOL - Cholesterol RPR - qualitative screening test for the
detection of syphilis. Antibody Screen - used in the detection of
unexpected antibodies to red cells in order to prepare or select donor
units for transfusion.
- HIV-1/2(Human Immunodeficiency Virus Types 1 and 2) - used to
detect antibodies to HIV-1 and/or HIV-2 and to identify potentially
infectious units of donated blood and plasma. HTLV-I/II (Human T-Lymphotropic
Virus Types I & II) - used as a screen for donated blood to prevent
transmission of HTLV-I and HTLV-II to recipients of blood components.
- HbsAg (Hepatitis B Surface Antigen) - used as a qualitative and/or
semi-quantitative test of total antibody to Hepatitis B Surface
Antigen as an aid in the diagnosis of Acute Hepatitis B.
- HIV-1 p24 Antigen - used for screening blood donors at unknown
risk for HIV-1 infection.
- HBC (Hepatitis B core Antibody) - used for the detection of total
antibody to Hepatitis B virus core antigen, screening of blood and
blood products intended for transfusion and as an aid in the diagnosis
of ongoing or previous Hepatitis B virus infection.
- HCV (Hepatitis C Virus) - used to detect antibody to Hepatitis C
Virus.
- CMV (Cytomegalovirus) Total Antibody - used as a screen for the
presence of antibody to CMV in blood or plasma donors.
- NAT-HCV & NAT HIV - Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) utilizes highly
specific probes to detect the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and/or RNA
(ribonucleic acid) of the Hepatitis C virus and the Human
Immunodeficiency Virus
Confirmatory Tests performed in-house: HIV-1 p24 Antigen
Neutralization Test HbsAg Confirmatory Test (Neutralization)
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| Do We Get The Results Of Any
Tests That Are Done? What Type Of Follow Up Is There? |
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Upon signing a release form, the parents will receive
two copies of the test results: one for themselves and one for the
child's pediatrician.
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