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In fact, in the United States, a total of 20 states—representing 68% of the U.S. population—have legislation in place endorsing education on cord blood stem cells as well as the cord blood banking options. The said legislation also mandates those who provide health care services to a pregnant woman during the last trimester of her pregnancy shall provide the women with timely, relevant, and appropriate information sufficient to allow her to make an informed choice about cord blood banking.
Citing its role in stem cell therapy and research as well as the international precedents that set it as part of legislative healthcare policy, umbilical cord blood banking will be integral if the Philippines were to establish its own Stem Cell Research Network.
While the public is still largely unaware of it, the Philippines is already home to one such umbilical cord blood banking facility equipped with world-class technologies and follows international quality standards. One of these organizations is CordLife. CordLife, with facilities in the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia and India, provides a full suite of cord blood and tissue banking services including the collection, processing, testing, and cryopreservation (Collection, processing and storage of umbilical cord tissue is currently available in CordLife Hong Kong and India facilities) of cord blood stem cells and tissue.
As a private cord blood banking facility, we believe that our efforts would complement and greatly enhance the establishment of a national stem cell research and storage network. The proposed legislation is very clear in not allowing the isolation, derivation, production, testing and human clinical use of embryonic stem cells; and with this, the importance of adult stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood is further emphasized since it is the most readily available stem cell source for clinical use.
This is especially true since CordLife is currently exploring partnerships with research institutions and local medical centers to clinically translate the latest innovations in cord blood research and cellular therapy as an extension of its operations.
It is our hope that legislation on the establishment of a Stem Cell Research and Storage Networkwould consider the following provisions:
• Elevating awareness on umbilical cord blood banking and parents’ options for preserving them;
• Encouraging prenatal care providers to educate expectant parents about their cord blood banking options early enough in the pregnancy so they can make an informed decision about whether to privately bank their child’s newborn stem cells or to donate them to a public bank.
Figure 1: Transplant by Cell Source for Pediatric Recipients (Source: NMDP)
Arkansas can now boast of the first cord blood bank in the country funded by the state and linked to the national registry. If you compare cord blood banks, public, state funded cord blood banks always work out cheaper and more affordable, a source of relief to people who cannot afford high costs of private cord blood banking in the country.
Cord blood remains in the umbilical cord and the placenta at childbirth. It is discarded but now, with research showing that stem cells from this source are the best for treatments in diseases such as cancer, the activity in this sector has taken off. Cord blood is collected from the baby's umbilical cord after it has been cut and there is no pain to the mother or the infant. A syringe may be used to draw in cord blood or the blood may be drained into a collecting bag.
People have a choice of cord blood banking and can compare cord blood banks. They can choose baby cord blood banking in private but have to pay to keep it secured and safe for future use. Private cord blood banking costs are usually very high. A better alternative is public state funded cord blood banks where you can store your child's cord blood but unless you pay to keep it private, it can be used to treat anyone in need. Stem cells sourced from umbilical cord blood are most effective in helping in new growth and development of cells in a person afflicted with cancer or leukemia.
A unique cord blood bank, now set up in Arkansas, allows people to donate their child's umbilical cord blood and help in saving those in need of stem cell transplants in the state. There still aren't specialists in Arkansas to perform the critical transplants but for now the bank will focus on collection of umbilical cord blood from donors, according to Doctor Michelle Fox, medical director of the new bank in Arkansas. According to her, any hospital, anywhere in Arkansas can collect cord blood and ship it to the new bank for processing and storage. Donors will have to undergo rigorous screening procedures. Already the bank has collected five private donations and three public ones that are being stored in Florida until the local bank is operational. The cord blood bank will cost $ 400000 a year to run with funds from the state and private sources. It will hold about 3000 units of cord blood.