Umbilical cord is the richest and purest source of stem cells, with the amazing ability to regenerate and differentiate into various cell types. Cord stem cells have shown immense potential in treating a wide range of diseases, including certain cancers, blood disorders, and immune system disorders. By storing cord stem cells, at the time of birth, you can provide a form of “biological insurance”, if your child or a family member develops a disease or condition that can be treated with cord stem cells in the future. 

Stem Cells that come from a person’s own body are called autologous stem cells. These cells are more valuable than allogenic stem cells, which are stem cells that comes from someone else. Because our immune system can recognise “self” (i.e., own cells) from “non-self” (i.e., foreign or someone else’s cells), the use of person’s own stem cells in treatment poses little to no risk of immune rejection, as they are a perfect genetic match for the individual. When stem cells from another person are used in treatment, the immune system may identify these cells as foreign and destroy them, thus making the treatment ineffective and unsafe. Most recipients of cell or tissue donations have to take immune-suppressing medication their entire life to avoid this. By storing your baby’s stem cells with BioGrad Prenatal, you can secure a valuable resource that ensures your child’s future health and the potential for your child to receive personalised medical treatments that is tailored to their specific need, thus minimizing the risk of rejection and enhancing the safety and success rate of such treatments.  

Storing cord stem cells provides a potential valuable source of cells for future medical treatments, particularly in regenerative medicine and organ transplantation. The umbilical cord contains a rich reserve of multipotent stem cells, which possess the remarkable ability to self-renew (i.e., regenerate) and differentiate into various cell types within the body. These stem cells have the potential to be harnessed for regenerative therapies and transplantation scenarios, where they can be used to repair and replace damaged tissues or organs. Storing stems collected from your baby’s umbilical cord presents a proactive approach, that ensures that your child and family members can potentially safeguard against unforeseen health challenges and ensure access to innovative regenerative therapies that may emerge in the future.

Stem cells can be collected and stored from different sources such as bone marrow or adipose tissues for medical treatment. However, stem cells collected from a younger age i.e., from your child at birth can preserve cells with potentially superior regenerative capacity and reduces the impact of aging on stem cell functionality. This can be particularly relevant as individuals age and may require therapies that rely on robust and youthful stem cells.

Storing umbilical cord blood ensures that the stem cells are readily available if needed. The process of finding a suitable donor can be time-consuming and challenging, especially when searching for an unrelated donor through public registries. By storing stem cells from your child’s cord blood stem, you are providing a valuable resource that will allow your child to access their own genetically matched stem cells. In addition, your child and family members can bypass the need to rely solely on finding a suitable donor and have a readily accessible source of compatible cells for potential future treatments.

Stem cells from umbilical cord have demonstrated remarkable success in various medical applications. The first successful stem cell transplant using umbilical cord stem cells occurred in 1988. The recipient was a five-year old boy, named Mathew Farrow, who suffered from Fanconi anaemia, a rare bone genetic disorder that causes bone marrow failure. Mathew’s sister’s umbilical cord blood was used as the source of stem cells for the transplant. Matthew’s successful outcome opened the door to further research and clinical applications of cord blood transplantation. Since then, cord blood stem cells have been widely used in the treatment of various diseases, and the procedure has become a standard treatment option for certain conditions, particularly when a matched bone marrow donor is unavailable. 

Collecting the stem cells from the umbilical cord is a simple and safe process, that doesn’t harm or present any risk to the baby or the mother. It’s done right after birth and doesn’t involve any invasive procedures. It is a one-time opportunity such that once it is collected and stored, the cells are readily available for potential future use, and there is no need for invasive procedures or searching for suitable donors.

Stem cell research is a rapidly growing field, and an essential tool for advancing scientific and medical research. Ongoing scientific advancements may lead to new discoveries and therapeutic applications for cord stem cells, as research suggests that these cells may have even broader applications in regenerative medicine for treating conditions like heart disease, neurological disorders, and autoimmune diseases. By storing stem cells collected from the umbilical cord, you contribute to the availability of cells for the advancement of medical research and help to advance our understanding of diseases, drug development, and the potential applications of stem cell therapies, that may also benefit you and your loved ones in the future. 

Stem cell storage is a relatively new technology that has the potential to save lives and improve health outcomes for individuals and families. The stem cells from the umbilical cord are a perfect genetic match for your baby and a close match for family members. This means that if your child or a family member ever needs a stem cell transplant, these cells have a higher chance of being a good match, increasing the chances of successful treatment.