E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Norbert von der Groeben/Stanford School of Medicine
Amalia Kessler holds her 4-month-old son, Ari, while her husband, Adam Talcott, holds their daughter, Stella, 3. Kessler tried to donate Stella's umbilical cord blood, but was told no public program was available. Thanks in part to her efforts, a public program was begun at the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University, where Kessler was the first donor after Ari's birth in September.
When Amalia Kessler was pregnant with her first child, Stella, in 2008, she knew she didn’t want to waste the baby’s valuable umbilical cord blood, which can be a life-saving source of stem cells used to treat cancer and other diseases.
Private donation was out, despite the barrage of glossy brochures from companies that target expectant parents.
“I came to the conclusion that there was very little chance that the child I was pregnant with, or any future child, could benefit from any blood that I could bank,” said Kessler, 38, a law professor at Stanford University.
But when she tried to donate the cord blood to a public bank for wider use, Kessler was surprised to learn there was no nearby place that could salvage it. “I called all around,” she recalled.
Three years later, it was a different story. When Kessler delivered her son, Ari, last September, she became the first donor in a brand-new cord blood collection program operated by the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University.
“It felt very good,” said Kessler. “All I did was complain.”
In fact, Kessler’s insistence was part of the impetus for the Packard project, one of a growing number of hospital cord blood collection programs nationwide. The programs, which are free to parents, collect cord blood immediately after birth for listing on the National Be The Match Registry operated by the National Marrow Donor Program network.
Some 200 hospitals now supply 20 U.S. public cord blood banks that are part of the NMDP network, according to Mary Halet, manager for cord blood operations at the agency’s cord blood coordinating center.
Last year, the NMDP helped supply nearly 1,200 transplants from cord blood units, up from 1,000 in 2009, for a total of 6,000 since the program began in 2000. Overall, the number of available cord blood units climbed 14 percent in 2011, with greater increases expected as more hospitals sign on.
“This is a good cause,” explained Dr. Rajni Agarwal, a bone marrow transplant specialist at Packard. “When you talk about a product that is going to be discarded and could be used in saving someone’s life, there’s a very good response.”
All told, the banks provide access to some 165,000 cord blood units in the U.S. for people with life-threatening conditions, including leukemia and immune system and metabolism disorders. Counting international partners, the agency has access to some 425,000 cord blood units worldwide.
Since it formally began in January, the Stanford hospital has banked 15 to 20 units, but expects that figure to grow rapidly from a maternity unit that sees 5,000 births a year, Agarwal said.
In a market where nearly all cord blood – some 97 percent – is discarded as medical waste, public donation is gaining ground. There is sharp competition from private banks, which typically charge $2,000 to collect the cord blood and additional monthly fees to store it for the family’s future personal use.
Private banks have said they offer parents both individual options and peace of mind.
Medical experts such as the American Academy of Pediatrics have come out against private banking unless parents had an older child with cancer or a genetic disease that could benefit from a sibling’s donation. AAP experts estimate that the chances are only about 1 in 2,700 that a child will need his or her own cord blood to treat disease in the future.
Instead, the AAP has encouraged public banking as a way to increase access to stem-cell therapy. Cord blood does not need to match as closely as bone marrow or other stems cells derived from blood, so it’s a good choice for patients with uncommon tissue types who don’t have a closely matched donor available.
At the Packard hospital, obstetricians have been charged with collecting cord blood. At other places, specific technicians might retrieve the donations. All public donations must be strictly screened and have enough cells to make up a usable dose, at least 200,000 nucleated cells, Agarwal said. Smaller donations may be used for research or are discarded.
New parents who want to donate their babies’ cord blood should check with their local hospital to see if it’s possible.
In Amalia Kessler’s case, she’s glad she spoke up -- and sparked a change that will help others.
“The amazing thing, of course, is it doesn’t cost anybody anything,” she said. “They would throw this stuff out.”
Related stories:
For organ donation, Facebook beats the DMV
Leave a Comment:
But they're still not as dedifferentiated as the stem cells of the blastocyst. From a developmental biology POV, might be interesting to profile their differentiation progress. On the other hand, they may have practical uses that can overcome moral objections to taking apart the blastocyst.
I asked about donating mine, even just for research, but they didn't have anything set up to take donations yet at my hospital.
Ideally, your baby should get that cord blood. If you wait to cut the cord until it stops pulsing, then most of that valuable blood goes where it's supposed to - into your newborn.
Doesn't the baby have any say so over things? Maybe it didn't want the cord cut, a "personhood" issue
just because it's there doesn't mean it's useful... ala wisdom teeth.
Why is this being collected? How many times have we been told "only fetal stem cells are useful"?
Embryonic actually Bob. ESC's are pluripotent, so they can more or less be cultured into any type of cell.
Never.
Bob: Very useful in saving lives - it is used as a bone marrow transplant for many types of cancer, when bone marrow has been destroyed (through chemo or radiation).
Thanks to an unknown baby boy whose parents donated his cord blood, my niece had a bone marrow transplant. It was just about 2 years ago, she is now 14 years old, going to high school next year, and 2 years leukemia free! Thank you to all who collect, and to all the families who donate.
Wish I could have. Glad it's getting more common now and more lives can be saved!
They are wrong about one thing. It does cost somebody. It costs quite a bit. The NMDP charges about $60,000 for a unit of cord blood to be used in transplant.
.
I wrote an article about this a few months ago. It is an important topic and I am glad MSNBC posted this article.
When I was pregnant with my first child in 2010, there weren't any hospitals in my area that were affiliated with a cord blood donation program. But my husband and I felt very strongly that we wanted to donate our son's cord blood and were determined to find a way to make it happen. At the time, the NMDP's website listed a private company that you could use for the donation process if there weren't any cord blood banks in your area. It was a first for both my OB/GYN and the hospital I delivered at, but my son's cord blood was donated. I hope it was able to help someone and feel proud that I can tell him that his first act in life was to help someone else in need.
I am glad that it is becoming more common to donate, however, should I have children, I will be paying for it to be stored in our family's name. There is somewhat of a family history of cancer, although not during childhood but it seems to be getting earlier with each generation, despite very healthy habits. It is definitely a fear that it would strike during childhood.
As long as they keep it out of the hamburger meat & out of the hands of Starbuck's I'm fine with it
If "Cord Blood" becomes a market commodity, I'm not fine with it
Great Article! Cord Blood is a great thing to have! Saves a lot of lives! I'm all for it!
Oh no.. Science is rearing it's ugly head.. It's evil... Those Conservatives must be shuddering with anger..
I did this after both my children were born in Northern NJ. I just had to pick up the kit and bring it to the hospital with me after filling out paperwork. Easy as pie, and my obstetrician was happy to do this. I was pleased to be able to potentially be able to help some others.
I did this with both my children's cord blood. I was able to pick up the kit in Northern NJ and bring it to the hospital. My obstetrician was happy to do it, and everything was done smoothly. I was glad to to give something that would be thrown out and have it be available for helping someone in need. Public programs like this are the best.
And it comes from live births, so pro-life people can be happy with it.
I wanted to bank so bad when my kids were born. It was so expensive we could not afford it. Although my first child was born 14yrs ago when I was 19. I was very aware of this option and by the time our second child came 3yrs later the desire to collect was even more but like I said it was so unrealistic to bank it. Both of our children were preemies I felt so guilty like I was doing them an injustice and I hated it. I also hated that it was being wasted because I knew that it was something that could possibly help them or others if they had certain cancers. I think it is wonderful they are doing this. Their are children everyday suffering from cancers and these donations would be so benificial. I think they should take them all if parents sign consent for it. Maybe one day these facilities will be available to where all hospitails can provide this valuable service for future health care and childhood cancers.
If it's normaly thrown away, why don't they just harvest it from every birth?
PLEASE don't take away your baby's blood! It is needed so baby has a long and healthful life. Delayed cord clamping is needed. When researching this topic due to hubby's chronic illness we found that we ourselves have stem cells that can now be used to heal ourselves or others..baby's stem cells are NO LONGER necessary for those who are ill!
wow
If you feel so stongly about this join a natural birth group and don't darken the doors of the hospital with your birthings. Go out in the woods and squat under a tree or in a pond. Do it naturally. Have fun! Meanwhile, accept that others don't adhere to your opinion and don't rain on their parade. Maybe helping others to remain or become healthy again is just as important to them as your selfishness is to you. Either way, natural birth in the woods or a hospital birth, valuable cord blood that could save lives is being wasted.
We're expecting our first and have received many colorful brochures from the private cord blood banks. After researching it carefully, we're going with public donation. The AMA, AAP, ACOG and the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation all speak out against private donation unless there is a clear need for it. Donating publicly will allow us to use our baby's blood for someone else in need - and we hope that if/when we have a need for cord blood ourselves, the public registries will be there for us as well.
Why not do it. It's FREE! I think public cord blood banking is a great resource that can help a lot of people. There are already a lot of diseases out there that can be helped through donation, and I'm sure many more are to come. Here is a decent resource if you want to learn more.
www.publiccordbloodbanks.org
Check out this webinar happening on Friday, May 11th at 11am at cordbloodmamalogue.webex.com
“What Every Mama Needs To Know About Cord Blood Banking,” a pre-Mother’s Day “mama-logue” for expectant moms or women who hope to one day conceive and want to get smarter about this very important topic. The webinar will feature Lisa Valastro, mother of four beautiful children and the wife of Buddy Valastro, also known as TLC’s “Cake Boss.”
Join the discussion to learn:
•The basics of cord blood banking
•What cord blood stem cells are and why they are unique
•Why scientists are hopeful about their role in the future of medicine
•How the collection process works
•The options for preserving your newborn’s cord blood stem cells
Lisa will be joined by Daria Klachko, MD, FACOG of Saint Barnabas Hospital and Short Hills Surgery Center and Charis Ober, founder of Save the Cord Foundation. Together, they will do our best to answer your questions. So please take the time to submit a question when you register.
I think this article should be entitled "It can never happen to me". There is great irony in donating cord blood stem cells for public use, but doing so only because you believe your family will never need them. Clearly, the law professor in the article has not truly thought things through. She recognizes that other people need these cells, but her family is apparently not like other people. Likewise, the author quotes numerous sources advising against private use cord blood stem cell storage companies and then goes on to promote with glee how many public samples are used. It is not aliens that use these cells, it is previously healthy people who thought "It can never happen to me". I am all for public storage. However, donations should be made because you care about the stranger you will never meet; because it takes a village to raise a child; because doing so, is an example of doing good. On the other hand, if you believe that your first priority is protecting your child and protecting your family, then you should strongly consider privately storing your newborn's cord blood stem cells. After all, it can happen to anybody.
As a grandmother of 5, with a mother with Parkinson's, I can tell you that I was thrilled to learn about the advances of cord blood stem cell treatment. I believe that one day cord blood stem cells will be able to cure those with Parkinson's, maybe not in time for my mother, but certainly in time for others. However, I also know that stems cells from a relative have a higher success rate...naturally matching is easier. I've also personally experienced the death of a friends son with leukemia when they couldn't find a stem cell match from a public bank. So while I am a supporter of donating cord blood stem cells if there is absolutely no option to store it for your families use, I also think that being prudent and planning for every possibility for your own family's future is important as well.