Public or family cord blood banking - which one to choose?

By Cherie Daly, MD, SLD Consulting
Advisor - Parents' Guide Cord Blood Foundation
Scientific Board ITERA (International Tissue Engineering Research Association)

When having a baby, parents must make many decisions, ranging from material ones (what pram to buy, what cot to buy, what colour to paint the room) to more serious medical ones.

One of these medical decisions is what to do with the blood from the newborn baby's umbilical cord.

Today, parents delivering in Singapore have three choices relating to their baby's cord blood:

1. Donate to a public bank
2. Store privately in a family bank
3. Throw it away

So where do parents “go” for accurate, non-bias information to assist them with this decision and to empower them to make an educated decision based on accurate facts.

I always say that each family is unique and what might be the right decision for one family may be wrong for another.

Parents should carefully research the topic, discuss the options, and make their own decision based on non-bias facts.

A good place to start is The Parents' Guide to Cord Blood Foundation (parentsguidecordblood.org). This website gives non-bias accurate information about both public and family cord blood banking. The founder is a mother, with a scientific background, who lost her daughter to cancer and has dedicated her life to this website and informing other parents about cord blood banking and all the options.

It's important to know that public and private cord blood banks store umbilical cord blood for different reasons.

Public cord blood banks accept donations of cord blood to be tissue typed and listed on the International Donor Registries (like NMDP and WMDA) for haematopoietic (blood) stem cell transplants from people who are not related to the donor.

Parents store umbilical cord blood with a family cord blood bank for related haematopoietic stem cell transplants (most likely sibling transplants) and for a few current indications for the need of autologous (one’s own) stem cells (i.e. solid tumors and aplastic anaemia)

Besides the current indications, parents can also store cord blood samples privately for the emerging applications using umbilical cord blood stem cells for non-haematopoietic diseases that are currently being research in clinical trials. An example is cerebral palsy, which is currently being explored in an FDA-approved phase 11 clinical trial at Duke’s University in North Carolina, USA.

Below, I have summarised a few facts in table form to help you to understand the differences:

PUBLIC CORD BLOOD BANK VS
PRIVATE/FAMILY CORD BLOOD BANK

As mentioned previously, this topic should be fully researched and understood. Parents should ensure they understand all the facts, including knowing exactly what cord blood can be used for in both settings. All the pros and cons should also be carefully considered.

After this, each family should feel comfortable making a decision that is right for them.

No choice is the right or wrong decision. Each family is unique, and the decision they make is the right one for them.

Reference:

1.parentsguidecordblood.org

Busted: top myths of cord blood banking

Sort out the facts from the myths and then make a decision about whether or not to store your child's cord blood stem cells.

Cord blood banking is the process of storing your newborn's stem cells after birth, which are found in the blood of the umbilical cord. Although cord blood banking has been available in Singapore for more than 20 years, there are still many misconceptions about it.

Since you only get one chance to bank your child's cord blood, it's critical that you get it right. The first thing you should do is arm yourself with accurate information. In this article, we round up five common misconceptions people have about cord blood and cord blood banking.

Myth 1: If my child becomes ill, he won't be able to use his own cord blood for treatment.

Fact: Whether a child’s cord blood can be used to treat himself depends on the type of condition diagnosed as well as the age at which the diagnosis is made. If the condition is genetic, it is not recommended that the child receive his own cord blood. In such cases, his sibling's cord blood may open up medical treatment options. Also, it's always easier to find a good match among family members than among strangers. If the condition is caused by environmental factors, the child will be able to receive his own cord blood. Cancer, for example, has been shown in studies to be caused by genetics in only about 5% to 10% of the cases. Environmental factors account for the remaining cases.* Patients with neuroblastoma can be treated with their own cord blood.

Myth 2: Cord blood can only treat blood disorders.

Fact: Cord blood contains blood-forming cells that can treat more than just blood disorders. Studies have shown that blood-forming cells can help in the treatment of more than 80 diseases, including leukaemia, lymphoma, and neuroblastoma. There are also ongoing clinical trials and studies that could help people in the future who have diseases that can't be cured, like cerebral palsy, and autism.

Myth 3: If I need stem cells in the future, I can always find a bone marrow donor.

Fact: Using stem cells from cord blood, especially from a relative, is better than using bone marrow in many ways. Finding a match for cord blood is easier because cord blood doesn't have to be a perfect match for the recipient. If your family has privately banked cord blood, you can simply retrieve it for treatment right away. On the other hand, bone marrow has to match the recipient perfectly. You may have to waste time, money, and effort looking for a perfect bone marrow match across the country or even the world. Obtaining stem cells from bone marrow is also a difficult, painful, and risky process, whereas cord blood collection is simple, painless, and safe for both mother and child. The risk of graft-versus-host disease is lower in autologous cord blood stem cell transplants (in which the donor and recipient are the same person) than in bone marrow transplants.

Myth 4: Collecting cord blood affects delivery and takes blood away from the baby.

Fact: Cord blood is only collected after the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut. During the procedure, both mother and child are safe and comfortable. Those who do not want their cord blood collected will usually have it discarded as medical waste.

Myth 5: All cord blood banks are the same.

Fact: Cord blood banks are not all the same. Quality, experience, and the technology used to collect, process, and store cord blood vary. The Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation, an educational resource for parents, recommends that parents choose a family cord blood bank that has met at least one accreditation standard, such as the AABB or FACT Netcord. You should also choose a family cord blood bank with a proven track record of successful cord blood releases. This lets you know that your child's stem cells will be stored in the best possible conditions so that they can be used in the future.

This article was adapted from "Young Parents", Issue Nov 2017.

*Anand P, Kunnumakara AB, Sundaram C, et al. “Cancer is a preventable disease that requires major lifestyle changes”. Pharm Res. 2008;25(9):2097–2116. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515569. Accessed Sept 25, 2017.

Cord blood banking - make no mistake

When it comes to making important decisions like cord blood banking, every detail counts. Find out how Cordlife’s dual international accreditations and fully automated end-to-end closed processing technology can give you peace of mind.

If you're expecting a child, you might be thinking about storing your baby's cord blood stem cells.

Why shouldn’t it? Cord blood banking is one of the most advanced ways to protect your family's health that you can do. Cord blood, which is high in stem cells, has the potential to be used as regenerative medicine in the future.

Stem cells found in cord blood have been used to treat more than 80 diseases, including leukaemia, lymphoma, and thalassemia. As rigorous clinical trials continue, the list of treatable conditions is expected to grow. You only have one chance to save your baby’s cord blood, and that is at birth, so choose a cord blood bank you can trust. Do your homework, because it's the little things that set a reliable service provider apart from a mediocre one.

The Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation, an educational resource for parents, suggests choosing a family cord blood bank that has met at least one international accreditation standard, such as the AABB or FACT. ¹ Through regular and strict audits, these accreditations make sure that labs follow best practices when handling, processing, and storing cord blood.

The list of successful cord blood releases by a cord blood bank is also proof that their methods for processing and storing cord blood stem cells meet international quality standards so that they can be used in the future if needed.

Parents should also look at other factors, such as whether the cord blood bank adopts a fully automated process from the receipt of cord blood units up to storage. This makes it possible to get the most valuable stem cells possible by getting rid of any chance of human error or cross-contamination, which could make the cord blood unit less useful.

The good news is that Cordlife, a Singapore-based family cord blood and cord lining bank that has been in operation for over 20 years, has both international accreditations and is one of only six family cord blood banks in the world to have done so. As an industry leader, they were also the first cord blood bank in Singapore and among the first in Asia to adopt fully automated processing of cord blood. This has given over 600,000 parents in Asia the peace of mind they needed.

This article was adapted from "Young Parents", Issue Sep 2017.

¹ Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation. FAQ. Retrieved Aug 7, 2018. https://parentsguidecordblood.org/en/faqs#q-18082

Read this if you're expecting a baby because it could save your loved one's life in the future.

Preserving the blood from your baby's umbilical cord in a family cord blood bank makes sure that your children will always have access to their own stem cells.

Storing cord blood can be a lifesaving investment, with statistics showing that one in every 217 people may need a stem cell treatment in their lifetime.¹ Stem cell transplants can be used to treat over 80 types of diseases, which include leukaemia, lymphoma, and thalassemia, as well as certain metabolic and immunological disorders.² Ongoing clinical trials are also underway to use cord blood to treat autism, type 1 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injury, and many more.³

Cord blood is rich in haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which play an important role in replenishing the blood and regenerating the immune system. However, the odds of finding a match for a transplant within the same racial group are around 1 in 20,000.⁴ This is why storing your baby’s cord blood can be beneficial. If your child needs a stem cell transplant, he or she will be able to use his or her own stem cells, which are a perfect genetic match and eliminate the chance of rejection after the transplant.

Keeping cord blood can also help to save more than one life. Compared to other sources of stem cells like bone marrow, cord blood stem cells are younger and more primitive. This means they are able to regenerate healthy cells at a faster rate and pose a lower risk of rejection when transplanted to a matched family member. Cord blood stem cells are also easier to collect, and the process is painless and risk-free for both mother and child.

A study found that transplants using cord blood from a matched family member have a higher survival rate of up to 87 percent when compared to a non-related donor.⁵

What to look out for in a family cord blood bank?

Facilities that offer the optimum environment to preserve cord blood stem cells have become more common today, as stem cells have grown to be an increasingly essential procedure in treating major illnesses.

To make sure your child's cord blood can be used in the future, you should also consider the family cord blood bank's accreditations, the condition of their facilities, and how they process the cord blood.

International accreditations

Look for a family cord blood bank that has obtained international accreditation from organisations such as the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT).

If these groups have given the cord blood bank their seal of approval, it means that the lab that processes the cord blood and the place where it is stored have met high quality standards.

Facilities

Make sure that the cord blood bank's laboratory is not run by a third party. By having their own facilities, the bank can keep a tighter eye on quality and get to resources right away in case of an emergency.

Processing methods

The method used to process cord blood units determines the cell recovery rate and viability of your child’s cord blood stem cells. The whole process should be done automatically to avoid contamination or mistakes made by people. Every step in the processing of your child’s cord blood contributes towards the quality of the unit.

Setting aside money in your budget to store your baby’s cord blood is a wise investment, but it will be for naught if you choose the wrong cord blood bank. So, conduct thorough research and protect your child’s future with a reliable partner.

This article was adapted from "Young Parents", Issue Mar 2018.

¹Nietfeld JJ, Pasquini MC, Logan BR, et al. Lifetime probabilities of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the U.S. Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 2008; 14:316-322.
²For the full list of treatable diseases and references, please refer to https://www.cordlife.com/sg/treatable-diseases.
³Diseases and Disorders that have been in Clinical Trials with Cord Blood or Cord Tissue Cells. Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation website. https://parentsguidecordblood.org/en/diseases#trial. Accessed June 13, 2016.
⁴Chew J. Criterion for new stem-cell transplant 50% match. The Straits Times. July 18, 2013: 12-15.
⁵Bizzetto R, Bonfim C, Rocha V, et al. Outcomes after related and unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation for hereditary bone marrow failure syndromes other than Fanconi anemia. Haematologica. 2010; 96(1):134-141.

How to choose a family cord blood bank

Have you ever considered how motherhood changes your life? From the first second that you discovered you are carrying life within you, everything changes – your perspective, your priorities, and even your choices. Every decision you make, from choosing your obstetrician doctor, delivery hospital to your diet, is important. Perhaps one decision above all others could make a significant difference without you knowing it: the decision to store your child’s umbilical cord blood.

Yes, that’s right. Did you know that the umbilical cord which primarily provides nutrients and removes waste during pregnancy also contains life-saving stem cells? Let’s take a closer look at how you can store these precious stem cells through family cord blood banking.

What is cord blood banking?

Cord blood banking is the process in which blood remaining within the umbilical cord and placenta is collected, harvested and stored after the birth of your child. The remaining blood is also known as umbilical cord blood, a rich source of Haematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) with the ability to differentiate into other cell types found in blood, such as red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

HSCs play an important role in regenerating damaged or diseased cells, correcting genetic defects, and treating blood cancers. By taking this blood and freezing it, you are able to save those precious stem cells and use it should your child – or someone in your family – ever need it.

HSCs have the unique ability to differentiate into various cell types found in blood as depicted in the diagram below:

The importance of cord blood

Umbilical cord blood can be used to treat over 80 diseases¹, such as leukaemia, lymphoma, thalassemia as well as immune disorders and metabolic disorders, just to name a few.

Clinical trials are also underway to use cord blood to treat Autism, Cerebral Palsy and conditions which occur in the later stages of life, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s, Osteoarthritis and many more². Clinical trials are instrumental in enabling medical breakthroughs and give hope to those with medical conditions that currently have no known cure.

3 Key Facts about Umbilical Cord Blood

Guaranteed match for autologous transplants

Your child’s umbilical cord blood is a 100% match for him/her in a time-critical situation when the need for a stem cell transplant arises. Based on Cordlife’s data on cord blood units released for transplants over the years, 64%³ of the released cord blood units were for autologous (self-use) treatments.

Lower risk of graft vs host disease

Graft vs Host Disease is a possible severe adverse immunologic reaction that occurs when the patient receives the stem cells from a donor in a transplant. As your child is both donor and recipient in an autologous transplant, there is much lower risk of contracting Graft vs Host Disease.

Ready source of life-saving stem cells for the family

By storing your child’s stem cells for the family, you are reducing the chances of needing to wait, source and procure a suitable cord blood unit for a transplant if it ever arises. The chances of finding a suitable stem cells donor in Singapore is 1 in 20,000 ⁴. Currently, up to 75% of patients⁵ who require stem cell transplants are unable to find a suitable match/donor.

Therefore, the storage of your child’s umbilical cord stem cells with a family cord blood bank avails your child and family to a ready source of life-saving resource that not only treats over 80 diseases, but shows promising results in many other potential therapies.

Wouldn’t you want to have that option?

What else do I need to know about cord blood banking?

The collection process is risk-free and painless

The collection of cord blood done by your obstetrician doctor is a safe procedure that will neither harm both mother and baby nor complicate the birthing process. The final decision of whether the cord blood collection should take place will always reside with your obstetrician doctor, whose first priority is to ensure the safety of you and your baby. 

Unlocking additional medical resources from umbilical cord lining

Beyond the storage of your child’s umbilical cord blood, family cord blood banks such as Cordlife also offer the storage of your child’s umbilical cord lining, the outermost layer of the umbilical cord. The umbilical cord lining contains two additional cell types – Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) and Cord Lining Epithelial Stem Cells (CLEpSCs) extracted using CellOptima™ technology.

MSCs and CLEpSCs are the “muscle-forming” and “skin-forming” building blocks in the human body which have shown great potential in aiding the repair of injured tissues and organs.

Cordlife is 1 of 3 family cord blood banks worldwide and the only one in Singapore with patented CellOptima™ technology for the isolation and expansion of MSCs and CLEpSCs.

Not all family cord blood banks are the same

When it comes to the handling of your child’s precious umbilical cord stem cells, family cord blood banks have differing levels of laboratory management expertise, quality standards as well as processing technology. Cordlife is the only family cord blood bank in Singapore adopting a fully automated end-to-end closed processing system using both Sepax®² as well as Smart-Max™ machines, ensuring that there is no form of human intervention during processing. This technology ensures optimal recovery of your child’s precious stem cells and eradicates any risk of processing contamination.

How to choose a family cord blood bank

Once you’ve decided to make this important, life changing decision, the only thing left to do is choose a family cord blood bank.

To determine whether a family cord blood bank is trustworthy, a helpful tip would be to look at their years of experience as well as international accreditations from AABB (formerly American Association of Blood Banks) and FACT-Netcord (Foundation for the Accreditation for Cellular Therapy). Currently, Cordlife is the longest-standing family cord blood bank in Singapore and have been operating their fully-owned laboratory in accordance to international standards.

International accreditations as well as long-standing establishment are important pointers to look out for when choosing a family cord blood bank. It provides parents the assurance that their child’s life-saving medical resources are stored with a trusted, sustainable and reliable partner who will be with them for the long haul.

Another tip would be to look at the family cord blood bank’s transplant track record. This serves as an indication of the bank’s experience in successfully releasing cord blood stem cells for transplants. In addition, it affirms that your child’s cord blood stem cells stored under their care is in accordance with the highest standards and remains viable for transplantation when needed. Choose wisely because your child’s cord blood is precious.

During this period, cord blood banking remains as an essential healthcare service for all expectant parents. Safeguard your family’s health by making an appointment with our friendly consultants today!

This article was adapted from The Asian Parent: A Life-Changing Decision Mums Might Need to Make Before Birth.

References:
¹ For the full list of treatable diseases and references, please refer to https://www.cordlife.com/sg-beta/treatable-diseases.

² Diseases and Disorders that have been in Clinical Trials with Cord Blood or Cord Tissue Cells. Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation website. https://parentsguidecordblood.org/en/diseases#trial. Accessed April 20, 2020.

³ Based on Cordlife’s cord blood release track record as of April 2020.

⁴ Treatment with cord blood page. Singapore Cord Blood Bank website. https://www.scbb.com.sg/cordblood/pages/treatment-with-cord-blood.aspx. Accessed April 20, 2020.

⁵ Six Myths about Donating Bone Marrow and Stem Cells. https://www.mskcc.org/news/six-myths-about-donating-bone-marrow-stem-cells. Accessed October 21, 2022.

How to choose cord blood bank for your family?

It might get a little daunting when it comes to choosing a family cord blood bank. But fret not; here are some tips to guide you along.

1. Long-standing establishment

Look for a family cord blood bank that has been around the longest. This shows that they have experience and can be trusted to store your baby's stem cells in the right way.

#Fun Fact: Established in Singapore in 2001, Cordlife has over 20 years of experience.

2. Adherence to international accreditations

Make sure that the family cord blood bank you choose follows strict rules that are regularly checked by international groups when it comes to processing and storing the stem cells from your baby's umbilical cord blood. This gives you the peace of mind that the cord blood stem cells will still work if you ever need a transplant.

#Fun Fact: Cordlife is accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT).

3. Transplant track record

Look for published records of the family cord blood bank's success rate in releasing cord blood units for transplants, in addition to their accreditation. This is evidence that the cord blood stem cells stored at the cord blood bank remain viable should the need for transplantation ever arise.

#Fun Fact: To date, Cordlife has released more than 70 cord blood units for transplant and cellular therapy use.

4. Additional valued-added service offerings

Apart from storing cord blood stem cells, check if the family cord blood bank offers additional value-added services, as it would give you and your family access to more medical options.

#Fun Fact: Cordlife is the only cord blood bank that offers umbilical cord lining storage. We are a licensed partner of CellOptima^TM—a patented technology that harvests and expands two types of stem cells from your baby’s umbilical cord: mesenchymal stem cells and cord lining epithelial cells.

5. Fully-owned processing and storage facility

To make sure that the stem cells in your baby's cord blood are still viable, there are strict protocols that must be followed. It's important to check if the family cord blood bank has direct ownership over its processing and storage facilities to make sure that your baby's cord blood and lining units are kept safe.

#Fun Fact: Cordlife has a fully-owned laboratory in Singapore and maintains direct control over all critical services, quality, and licensing.

6. Financial stability

As stem cell transplant or therapies may occur at any point in life, it’s important that your chosen family cord blood bank has a sound, transparent and sustainable financial status as it gives the assurance that they will be with you for the long haul.

#Fun Fact: Cordlife is a mainboard listed company on the Singapore Exchange.

Click here if to know more about our packages or get in touch with us.

Myths vs truths - cord blood banking

Do you want to know if the stem cells from your baby's umbilical cord blood can be used after a few years or if collecting your baby's cord blood during the COVID-19 pandemic is safe?

We hope this post helps to dispel some of the common myths about cord blood banking and explains the facts.

Myth 1: Cord blood has not been used in the treatment of diseases.

FALSE! More than 40,000 cord blood transplants have occurred worldwide. Cord blood, in fact, contains blood-forming stem cells that have been used as a standard form of treatment for over 80 diseases, including blood disorders, solid tumours, immune and metabolic disorders.¹ There are also many ongoing clinical trials that keep finding new ways that cord blood stem cells could be used.²

Myth 2: Cord blood can only help my baby.

INCORRECT! Your baby's cord blood could be used to protect his or her siblings.

Myth 3: Cord blood cannot be used after a few years.

WRONG! Your baby's cord blood can be stored indefinitely at cryogenic temperatures below -135°C and still be viable.³

Myth 4: Having my baby's cord blood, cord lining, and cord tissue collected during the COVID-19 pandemic is risky.

NOPE! Evidence shows that the risk of direct transmission during delivery is low, and the COVID-19 virus strain, which can be passed on to the blood and tissue in the umbilical cord, was not found in samples from the mother or the baby.⁴ In the majority of COVID-19 human-to-human transmissions, the virus is spread primarily through direct contact with an infected person's respiratory droplets and by touching surfaces or objects contaminated with the respiratory droplets.⁵

Myth 5: I can decide whether to save my baby's umbilical cord blood stem cells while in labour or after he or she is born.

INACCURATE! The decision to store your baby's umbilical cord blood stem cells should be made and planned ahead of time as you have only one chance to collect your baby's cord blood, which is at birth. Parents-to-be can talk to their obstetrician about storing their baby's cord blood as early as the second trimester (Week 13 to Week 28).

Myth 6: It don't need to store my baby's cord lining if I'm storing my baby's cord blood.

UNTRUE! The umbilical cord lining contains two other types of lifesaving stem cells, such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and cord lining epithelial stem cells (CLECs), which can only be harvested and expanded using patented CellOptima^TM technology. Keeping both the cord blood and the lining of the cord allows you to get the most out of all types of stem cells. This gives your family more options for treating health problems in the future.

References:

1. For the full list of treatable diseases and references, please refer to https://www.cordlife.com/sg/treatable-diseases.
2. Diseases and Disorders that have been in Clinical Trials with Cord Blood or Cord Tissue Cells page. Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation website. https://www.parentsguidecordblood.org/en/diseases#trial. Accessed June 9, 2021.
3. Cells For Life website. https://cellsforlife.com/how-long-can-cord-blood-stem-cells-be-stored. Accessed June 15, 2021.
4. Schwartz DA. An Analysis of 38 Pregnant Women With COVID-19, Their Newborn Infants, and Maternal-Fetal Transmission of SARS-CoV- 2: Maternal Coronavirus Infections and Pregnancy Outcomes. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2020;144 (7):799-805
5. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection in Pregnancy-Information for healthcare professionals. Ver 11; 2020: 1-68.

Why should you store your baby's cord blood?

There is often a long list of things to consider when preparing for the arrival of your little bundle of joy. If one of them is to protect the health of your loved ones, here are some reasons why you should store your baby's cord blood.

Planning for your baby's safe and secure future should begin long before he or she is born. Learn why storing your baby's umbilical cord blood is one of the most important decisions you can make to protect your baby's and your family's health.

Treats over 80+ life-threatening cases

Cord blood is a rich source of lifesaving stem cells that have been shown to help treat more than 80 life-threatening diseases, such as leukaemia, lymphoma, thalassemia, metabolic disorders, and immune disorders.¹

Holds a promise for regenerative medicine

To date, there have been over 40,000 cord blood transplants performed globally.²

Umbilical cord blood has also shown promising results when used as regenerative medicine for conditions such as autism, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cerebral palsy, etc. This is because there have been a lot of clinical trials around the world to find possible future applications, giving families with diseases that have no known cures hope.³

Source of genetically related stem cells for the family

Your baby's cord blood stem cells are a guaranteed match for him/her. It is also a ready source of genetically related stem cells for the family, requiring a less stringent matching criteria compared to bone marrow stem cells.

When compared to bone marrow, there is a 60% better chance of finding a matching cord blood unit in the family. By storing all your children's cord blood at birth, your family also has an increased chance of securing a match within the family.⁴

Lower risk of graft-versus-host disease for autologous transplants

Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a condition when the transplanted cells see the patient's own tissue as foreign and attack it.

Using stem cells from cord blood reduces the risk of GvHD in autologous transplants (in which the donor and recipient are the same individual) when compared to unrelated donor transplants.

Readily available supply of stored haematopoietic stem cells

Cord blood can be stored indefinitely and still be viable if processed according to international standards and stored at cryogenic temperatures ranging from -135°C to -190°C.

By storing your child's umbilical cord stem cells, you can make sure that your family has a ready supply of haematopoietic stem cells in the event that a transplant is required in a time-critical situation.

Make the important decision to save your baby's
cord blood stem cells to protect your family's health.

1. For the full list of treatable diseases and references, please refer to https://www.cordlife.com/sg/treatable-diseases
2. Broxmeyer HE. The history of cord blood transplantation/biology & perspective for future efforts to enhance the field. BioInsights website. https://www.insights.bio/cell-and-gene-therapy-insights/journal/article/393/The-history-of-cord-blood-transplantation-biology-perspective-for-future-efforts-to-enhance-the-field. Accessed August 20, 2021
3. For the full list of clinical trial diseases, please refer to https://bit.ly/2NMNjrk
4. Beatty PG, Boucher KM, Mori M, et al. Probability of Finding HLA-mismatched Related or Unrelated Marrow or Cord Blood Donors. Human Immunology. 2000; 61:834-840.
5. Cells for life website. https://cellsforlife.com/how-long-can-cord-blood-stem-cells-be-stored. Accessed August 20, 2021

Cord blood stem cells - an untapped resource

References:

¹ Births and Fertility page. Department of Statistics Singapore website. https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/population/births-and-fertility/latest-data. Accessed April 12, 2022.

² Donate or Save - Take an Informed Decision page. Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation website. https://parentsguidecordblood.org/en/news/donate-or-save-take-informed-decision. Accessed April 12, 2022.

³ Diseases treated page. Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation website. https://parentsguidecordblood.org/en/diseases. Accessed April 12, 2022.

⁴ Bizzetto R, Bonfim C, Rocha V, et al. Outcomes after related and unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation for hereditary bone marrow failure syndromes other than Fanconi anemia. Haematologica.2011; 96(1):134-141.

⁵ Gratwohl A, Pasquini MC, Aljurf M, et al. One million haemopoietic stem-cell transplants: a retrospective observational study. The Lancet Hematology. 2015;2(3):E91-E100.

⁶ Gluckman E, Broxmeyer HA, Auerbach AD, et al. Hematopoietic reconstitution in a patient with Fanconi's anemia by means of umbilical-cord blood from an HLA-identical sibling. N Engl J Med. 1989;321(17):1174-8.

⁷ Ballen K. Update on umbilical cord blood transplantation. F1000Res. 2017; 6:1556. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5580430/ . Accessed March 14, 2022.

Cord blood banking checklist for expecting parents

Top 5 considerations that no one tells you about cord blood banking.

You may have heard of cord blood banking during your pregnancy but are unsure if it is right for you and your family. Let's dive deep into the subject of cord blood banking and discuss some lesser-known factors that can help you make an informed decision.

1. Unleashing your baby's hidden superpower

Did you know that cord blood was once regarded as medical waste and simply discarded? It turns out that your baby’s cord blood is almost like a superpower, with the potential to save lives by treating over 80 diseases, including leukaemia, lymphoma and thalassaemia, to name a few.¹

Cord blood stem cells have been used in more than 40,000 stem cell transplants around the world to help patients rebuild healthy blood and immune systems. Families can get access to this rich source of life-saving stem cells through cord blood banking. This is the process of collecting your baby's cord blood from the umbilical cord and storing it in a cryogenic tank until the family asks for it to be released.

2. A value-for-money investment for the whole family

When you decide to store your baby's cord blood, you are not only protecting your baby, but also protecting your whole family for life. How does this work?

Cord blood stem cells are a guaranteed match for your baby as they can convert themselves into other types of cells that the body requires. Your baby's cord blood is also a ready source of genetically related stem cells as siblings have up to a 75% chance of being a partial genetic match.² Considering how much it would only cost to store cord blood exclusively for the whole family, cord blood banking is a value-for-money investment.

3. When is the best time to decide?

The decision to store your baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells should be made with your spouse and planned ahead of time, to avoid missing the opportunity as you can only collect your baby's cord blood at birth. You can start this process as early as the second trimester (Week 13 to 28).

Cord blood collection doesn't interfere with the birthing process, whether by C-section or vaginal delivery. It only takes 5 minutes and is painless, quick, and safe for both mother and child.

4. Use your child's CDA (Child Development Account) to offset the cost of cord blood banking

Your child's CDA can be used to pay for a variety of expenses, including education, healthcare, and even cord blood banking. You can pay for Cordlife's cord blood banking packages using your child's CDA. You would only be paying half the cost of cord blood banking if you took advantage of the government's dollar-for-dollar matching scheme by topping up your child's CDA. The table below shows your child's entitlement.

Birth Order	Cash Gift	First Step Grant (no initial deposit required)*	Maximum Matching Contribution by Government in CDA	Total
1st child	$8,000	$3,000	Up to $3,000	Up to $14,000
2nd child#	$8,000	$3,000	Up to $6,000	Up to $17,000
3rd child & 4th child	$10,000	$3,000	Up to $9,000	Up to $22,000
5th child & higher	$10,000	$3,000	Up to $15,000	Up to $28,000

5. Choose a family cord blood bank that goes the extra mile

A family cord blood bank is one that stores the cord blood unit exclusively for your family's use. The cord blood that you stored is usually free to be used for treatment. Choosing the right partner to protect your baby's cord blood can ensure that your child or family has access to a medical resource in an emergency.

Parents must ensure that their baby's precious lifesaving stem cells are stored with a trusted and reliable partner who will be around for a long time, as the stem cells may be needed many years later. Here are some other factors to consider before making a decision.

Is the cord blood bank accredited?

Check to see if the family cord blood bank you choose is accredited by international bodies such as the AABB and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). This means that, as determined by regular and rigorous audits, your preferred family cord blood bank adheres to the highest quality standards in handling, processing, and storage of your baby’s cord blood.

How many cord blood units have they released for transplant purposes, and where have the units been sent?

Determine whether your preferred family cord blood bank has a proven transplant track record and where the cord blood units were released for transplant use. This validates the cord blood bank's cord blood banking experience and confirms that the cord blood stem cells stored in their care meet the highest standards and remained viable for transplantation.

How many cell lines can the bank help you store?

By storing more cell lines, your family will have greater access to stem cells that can be used in therapeutic and regenerative applications in the future, particularly for conditions for which there is currently no known cure. Apart from cord blood, one of Singapore's family cord blood banks can help with the storage of cord lining, a patented umbilical cord source containing two types of cells found in the umbilical cord lining - mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and cord lining epithelial cells (CLECs). Cord lining stem cells have shown great promise in aiding the repair of injured tissues and organs.

References:

1. Diseases treated with stem cells and their potential applications. Cordlife Singapore page. https://www.cordlife.com/sg/treatable-diseases. Accessed January 28, 2022.
2. Jawdat D, Saleh S, Sutton P, et al. Chances of Finding an HLA-Matched Sibling: The Saudi Experience. ScienceDirect. 2009; 15(10): 1342-1334.
3. Baby Bonus Scheme page. Ministry of Social and Family Development page. https://www.msf.gov.sg/policies/Strong-and-Stable-Families/Supporting-Families/Pages/Baby-Bonus-Scheme.aspx. Accessed January 28, 2022.