bump’s fabulous panel of experts is here to cover all your pregnancy and baby concerns.

This month, Róisín Deane from Cryosite helps our readers understand the importance of Cord Blood Storage.

Firstly we’d like to thank everyone who sent us in questions relating to Cord Blood storage.  We received literally hundreds.  However, as most were regarding similar or the same subject matter, we’ve identified the common questions and asked Dr Deane to answer these (poor thing, it took her a week!)  We’ve selected the most commonly asked questions to feature on this main Expert Panel Page.  However, to view the others, please click on the link at the bottom of this piece.

Róisín Deane completed her PhD in Dublin, Ireland in 1993 and worked as a research scientist in Ireland, Germany and Australia before moving to the commercial side of medical science. Involved with Cryosite since its inception in 2000, and with a successful background in molecular biology and diagnostics, Róisín managed the establishment of Australia’s first TGA licenced private cord blood service, offering expectant parents the opportunity to store their baby’s cord blood stem cells for potential future use.

-What is Cord blood storage?
Cord Blood is the blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord following birth. Until recently the placenta and umbilical cord were discarded after delivery as medical waste, but now research has shown that during pregnancy, cord blood becomes a rich source of the baby’s own bone marrow ‘stem cells’, the building blocks of everything in the blood. They form the white cells that fight infection, the red cells that carry oxygen and platelets that promote clotting. Stem cells from cord blood can now be collected, at birth, processed and cryogenically stored for potential, future use.
Cord blood stem cells are already being used by doctors worldwide to treat many life-threatening diseases. These include immune system deficiencies, blood disorders and some cancers. Furthermore, stem cell research is progressing at an extraordinary pace. Every day advances are made and if the current pace of research continues, these advances could potentially be applied in the treatment of numerous diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, diabetes, cancers and even spinal cord injury.

-When and how is the cord blood taken?
Cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord after the birth of the baby either by vaginal delivery or by caesarean section. Collection can only take place at the time of delivery. Immediately after the birth of your baby, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut in the normal manner separating the baby from the placenta and mother. The placenta is typically delivered a few minutes later. The portion of the umbilical cord still attached to the placenta is cleaned. A needle is then inserted into the umbilical vein and the placental blood is drawn, by gravity flow, into a sterile blood collection bag containing anti-coagulant to prevent the blood from clotting. Blood can also be collected after the baby’s birth but prior to the delivery of the placenta. In such cases, the placental blood yield is often greater as the placenta continues to pulsate during the collection process facilitating blood flow. The collection process is non-invasive to your newborn, completely painless and does not present any risks to either mother or baby. The collected cord blood and the maternal blood sample are then packed for shipping to the processing laboratory.
The collection procedure uses a collection bag that has been specifically designed for cord blood collections. Collecting directly into the collection bag is simple and user-friendly, increases the volume of blood that is collected and minimises the risk of bacterial contamination.

-Why is it such an expensive process?
The collection of cord blood is quite involved. We need to use specially designed collection bags, freezing bags and cryopreservation systems, validated transportation systems, involve the collecting obstetrician/midwife and hospital, and carry out extensive testing of both the cord blood and the maternal blood sample.  The courier costs can be quite high as cord blood needs to be processed within 36 hours of collection. We endeavour to keep the costs down and understand that having a baby can be financially challenging so are happy to work with clients to help them store.

-How long can cord blood be stored for and still be effective and valuable to use?
The first transplant was carried out in 1988 and since then, every year a small sample has been tested for viability. Thus, the documented evidence to support cord blood viability is 17 years. However, from a scientific point of view, once the blood is safely stored at the ultralow temperatures of liquid nitrogen, there is no reason why the blood cannot be stored indefinitely.

-How long in advance (before giving birth) do you need to arrange for cord blood to be collected?
It is preferable to have your contract lodged with Cryosite 6 weeks prior to your estimated date of delivery. However, we can (and routinely do!) arrange collections at much shorter notice!

-Does every state have cord blood banks?
There are public banks in NSW, VIC and QLD. WA is working towards opening a bank. However, public banks only collect from a limited number of hospitals within each state. Private banking is available in every state.

-Recent reports have advised that skin cells can now be morphed into stem cells. So will the requirement for cord cells be redundant shortly with the advancement of science?
The advantage of storing cord blood is that it contains the youngest ethically approved source of stem cells. They are collected and frozen at birth and offer the most potential. Cells collected from adults are already as old as the individual and may not offer the same potential.

-Can I donate my baby’s cord blood to research?
In Australia there are three different ways to collect cord blood.
Public donation:You can donate your baby’s cord blood to the public bank for the use of anyone needing a stem cell transplant. However, private cord blood services consider that banking your baby’s cord blood privately is investing in the future of stem cell technology and say that the public bank cannot always provide a suitable match, particularly within certain ethnic groups. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that it will be available to you if you were to need it. According to AusCord (the national network of cord blood banks in Australia) the chance that your cord blood will still be in the bank in 10 years time is around 85%. It should be noted that the public bank only collects from a limited number of hospitals in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and if you do not deliver during the hours of the hospital collection service your cord blood will not be collected.
Designated donation:You can donate your baby’s cord blood to the public bank to treat a specific family member with a proven sickness needing a stem cell transplant.
Private collection:There are a number of private banks that will collect your baby’s cord blood from anywhere in Australia, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and transport it by courier to their laboratories for processing and storage.