Cord Blood Transplantation ? A Life Savior Technique

The cord Blood which was discarded soon after the birth of a baby is regarded as a life saving device for the future generations of a family. It has thereby become imperative to save the precious blood which is rich instem cells necessary for the treatment of several life threatening diseases. In the past ten years, several cord blood transplantations have been performed worldwide as an alternative for treating cancer and serious genetic disorders. The first cord blood transplant was done in 1988

There are various sources of retreiving stem cells and Umbilical cord blood is one of the three sources for obtaining the blood-forming cells used in transplants. The other two sources are bone marrow and peripheral (circulating) blood. It is collected at the time of delivery after the birth of the baby. The blood from the cord is collected carefully by the hospital staff who are trained in the service. It is then tested, frozen and stored at acord blood bank for future use. The stored blood is called a cord blood unit (cbu).

The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry includes more than 70,000 cbu. Doctors search the NMDP Registry of adult marrow or peripheral blood cell donors and cbus to find a suitable HLA match for their patients who need a transplant. If selected, the matching blood is transfused to a patient. The transplant process is the same as for marrow andperipheral blood cell transplants

The use of cord blood transplants has grown for both children and adults. It is used more often in children because an umbilical cord holds a limited amount of blood. The number of blood-forming cells in a transplant should match the size of the patient