Public Cord Blood Banks

I have finally found a site that lists actual Public Cord Blood Banks both for the US and Internationally. www.parentsguidecordblood.org It’s an unbiased site that gives information on both public and private banking.

If there isn’t a hospital or facility near you, there are still opportunities to donate. You can work directly through a public bank. We can all give the gift of life!

Cryobanks International, Inc.

COLLECTS FOR: Research & Transplants
COLLECTS FROM: ANYWHERE!
INTERNET: www.cryo-intl.com
PHONE: 800-869-8608
STORAGE: Altamonte Springs, FL

“Cryobanks International is one of only two banks that accepts donations mailed in from anywhere. They started as a private cord blood bank, but their current business is primarily oriented towards accepting donations.”

LifebankUSA

COLLECTS FOR: Research & Transplants
COLLECTS FROM: ANYWHERE!
INTERNET: www.lifebankusa.com
PHONE: 1-877-LIFEBANKUSA (1-877-543-3226)
STORAGE: Cedar Knolls, NJ or Baton Rouge, LA

“LifebankUSA is the first cord blood bank to routinely bank the stem cells from the placenta, in addition to the umbilical cord blood. This is a separate process. They recommend collecting blood from the umbilical cord in utero, then the placenta is delivered and cells are extracted from the placenta.”

Thank you for this wonderful information www.parentsguidecordblood.org

Hope for Utah

I received an update email from Dr. Kelley “If you are delivering a Jordan Valley or the University it is possible. We will probably be up and running in St. Marks by then and maybe some IHC hospitals.” For those in the Salt Lake Valley you may have the opportunity to donate your Baby’s Cord Blood. Please take advantage of this as it will help so many people in both research and treatments. For those people who are interested in participating here is Dr. Kelley’s contact information.

Linda L. Kelley, PhD

Associate Professor Medicine

Director, Cell Therapy Facility

675 Arapeen Drive, Suite 300

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Phone: 801-585-6262

Fax: 801-585-3222

For myself I hope that one of the IHC Hospitals is the one I am delivering at. So maybe the dream isn’t over.

I may have reached a dead end

I received a couple of responses to my emails. From Steve at Q Therapeutics who was very kind to look into programs in Utah and was only able to find one run by Dr. Kelley. She replied to inform him “Not an option right now. Only University Hospital Program will be expanding in the near future. Many thanks to her and others who recognize this as a useful thing to do.” I guess I am getting ahead of the game, in Utah at least.

If anyone has a more successful experience I would love to hear about it. Please email me at publicstemcellbanking@gmail.com

I will continue in my efforts to make this quest a reality and continue to post any useful information I can find.

My Quest

So I’ve decided that since I am pregnant, I have the opportunity to try to practice what I preach. I will be blogging about my experience in trying to donate my baby’s umbilical cord stem cells. So far I have gone to marrow.org where they have information on how to donate cord blood. The links I followed to be honest were not very helpful. I am from Utah and there is only one facility listed. The link it gives me only refers to California facilities. So I Googled the facility listed and found an email address. I am yet to hear from them. I have also made attempts to contact the hospital I will be delivering at, but I have thus far been unsuccessful. My next step will be to talk to my Doctor. So far I am off to a slow start and half way to delivery time. I hope I will be successful in this quest to help better the life of another.

Public Stem Cell Banks Do Exist

Umbilical cord stem cells have the ability to save lives. Most people can’t afford to bank their child’s stem cells, and most won’t need to use them. I have wondered why there were no public banks where those who wished could donate their children’s umbilical stem cells. After much research I have found evidence that such banking systems do exist. This site is intended to make it easier for you to find out more about donating your child’s umbilical cord stem cells.

U of U Article

Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant

Newborn infants no longer need their umbilical cords, so they have traditionally been discarded as a by-product of the birth process. In recent years, however, the multipotent-stem-cell-rich blood found in the umbilical cord has proven useful in treating the same types of health problems as those treated using bone marrow stem cells and PBSCs.

Umbilical cord blood stem cell transplants are less prone to rejection than either bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells. This is probably because the cells have not yet developed the features that can be recognized and attacked by the recipient's immune system. Also, because umbilical cord blood lacks well-developed immune cells, there is less chance that the transplanted cells will attack the recipient's body, a problem called graft versus host disease.

Both the versatility and availability of umbilical cord blood stem cells makes them a potent resource for transplant therapies.

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/stemcells/sctoday/

Article from WebMD on Umbilical Cord Stem Cells

Umbilical cord blood stem cells

Umbilical cord blood stem cells are harvested from umbilical cord blood after a baby is born. Harvest does not affect the care of the baby or the mother.

Umbilical cord stem cells are less likely to result in graft-versus-host disease after a transplant. In this disease, the newly transplanted cells may destroy the other cells in the host's body because the cells do not match the others well enough.

Harvesting umbilical cord blood stem cells

Umbilical cord blood is drawn from the umbilical cord and placenta after the cord has been clamped and cut. Although stem cells are concentrated in cord blood, few cells are collected because the total amount of blood is small. The stem cells are usually frozen for later use.

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise