Lifebank recognizes the hopes and dreams you have for your child. We are committed to being more than just a stem cell storage company.
– ROBERT HARIRI, FOUNDER
The Foundation of Cord Blood Banking
A proven history of life-saving treatments.
Cord blood banking is a service that allows you to collect and preserve your newborn’s cord blood stem cells for use in stem cell transplantation today and for cellular therapies that may be developed in the future. Umbilical cord blood contains powerful stem cells that can be transplanted for many potentially life-saving medical treatments for your baby and his or her siblings.
You gain the following advantages when you choose Lifebank:
- The most comprehensive banking options
- Commitment to exceptional service
- State-of-the-art technology
- Cutting-edge research from Lifebank’s world-class parent company, Celularity
What is Cord Blood?
Previously discarded as medical waste, blood from your newborn’s umbilical cord is now recognized as a precious source of stem cells that can be transplanted to restore blood production in the bone marrow otherwise known as hematopoiesis.
How are Cord Blood Stem Cells Different?
Cord blood stem cells are similar to those in adult human bone marrow. Cord blood and bone marrow contain hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which can develop into any of the blood cells in our bodies.1 Because of this flexibility, they can replace diseased blood cells in people with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, among other conditions.
Stem cells found in your baby’s umbilical cord are less likely than other stem cells, including those from bone marrow, to lead to complications following transplant.1,2 Two of the most frequent complications of stem cell transplantation are transplant rejection and graft versus host disease, or GvHD.1,2 GvHD develops when blood cells from the donor’s stem cells attack the recipient’s cells and tissue.
A unique feature of umbilical cord blood stem cells is that they can be transplanted in cases where the donor and the recipient are only partially matched.1 In contrast, bone marrow grafts require perfect matching in most cases.
Should I Consider More Than Cord Blood Banking?
Cord blood banking isn’t the whole story. After your baby is delivered, stem cells can also be collected from the umbilical cord itself and the placenta. Banking blood from the placenta and umbilical cord is your best opportunity to maximize the number of stem cells collected. And many studies have shown that using a higher number of stem cells may help improve survival in transplant patients.3.4,5
REFERENCES
- American Cancer Society. Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplant. Available at https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/stem-cell-transplant.html. Accessed February 26, 2023.
- Ooi J. Cord blood transplantation in adults. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2009;44:661-666.
- Gluckman E, Rocha V. Donor selection for unrelated cord blood transplants. Curr Opin Immunol. 2006;18(5):565-570.
- Schoemans H, Theunissen K, Maertens J, Boogaerts M, Verfaillie C, Wagner J. Adult umbilical cord blood transplantation: a comprehensive review. Bone Marrow Transpl. 2006;38(2):83-93.
- Scaradavou A. Unrelated umbilical cord blood unit selection. Semin Hematol. 47;13-21.