Cord Blood

Bryce and I have been torn over whether or not to do the Cord Blood Bank option. It's about $2,000 to save Isaac's cord blood. I really didn't have any interest until I read that there is research linking Cord Blood to Type 1 Diabetes treatment.

I've been doing some research and in trying to find a credible source, I looked to JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a non-profit organization for researching cures for Type 1 diabetes). I've donated to JDRF since I've been out of college and support their mission as a non-profit organization.

Here's the information they had:

In 2007, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement evaluating cord blood storage by both public and private entities:

• Private UCB banking businesses store the donors' cells with the possibility of using them to the donors' own benefit in the future. These businesses, however, sometimes appeal to parents' emotional stress and tout unrealistic medical benefits. There is evidence that the UCB from a child with genetic defects also carry the same genetic mutations in its stem cell population, and the potential for children needing transplantation of their own UCB is still doubtful. However, parents are encouraged to store a newborn's UCB if a first-degree relative has been diagnosed with a disease treatable with a transplant.

As a result, the American Academy of Pediatrics has made the following recommendations for prospective parents:

1. UCB donation should be discouraged when its storage is directed for later personal or family use. Most premalignant changes already exist in the UCB, and the transplantation of such UCB may not confer any medical benefits. Direct UCB banking is encouraged when there is a full sibling in the family with a medical condition that can benefit from UCB transplantation.
   
2. UCB donation should be encouraged when it is banked for public use. Parents will be notified if abnormalities are found in the UCB during standard laboratory testing. These donations, however, may not be available for future private use.
   
3. There is insufficient scientific data to support UCB banking for future private use. Private banking as a "biological insurance" should be discouraged. All UCB banks should be accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) and follow FACT standards.

JDRF's position on storing cord blood
JDRF encourages expecting parents to consider donating their child's UCB for research purposes. Information on UCB donation can be found through the following web site:http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Donate_Cord_Blood_Share_Life/index.html

JDRF cannot encourage UCB storage for therapeutic purposes at this time given the lack of current clinical data demonstrating efficacy of UCB in preserving or restoring c-peptide in patients with type 1 diabetes.

That was enough for us to pass on the Cord Blood Banking. It was good to find some information from a credible source who wasn't out to sell you something.

I did contact the Texas public cord blood bank @ www.southtexasblood.org (email address on the website). Hopefully I can donate his cord blood for research purposes that will help with the research on Type 1 diabetes. Certainly cord blood from a baby who has a Type 1 diabetic mother will be valuable.