Stem Cells banking is the process by which stem cells are isolated and extracted from different tissues (Adult, Perinatal, embryonic) for cryopreservation and storage for future use.

One of the most common are the cells from the umbilical cord blood. Cord blood banking preserves the newborn stem cells found in the blood of the umbilical cord and the placenta. When a baby is delivered, even if clamping of the umbilical cord is delayed, there is still blood remaining in the after birth that is rich in stem cells and has medical value. While cord blood stem cells are not embryonic, they are more pristine than the stem cells in adults, because they are younger and they have had less exposure to illness or environmental factors. The stem cells in cord blood can be collected without any risk to the baby or mother. Cord blood SCs are used for therapy today in hospitals around the world. There are clinical trials that use cord blood for both stem cell transplants and emerging therapies in regenerative medicine. Cord blood banking includes the whole process from collection through storage of newborn stem cells for future medical purposes. If needed for treatment, the cord blood bank will release the stem cells to your physician. Storing cord blood SCs is a form of biological insurance for their child and family.

Stem Cells are an exciting and rapidly progressing field in regenerative medicine.They can be thought of as being similar to purchasing life insurance, as they are today’s solution to tomorrow’s health problems. They’re the last line of defense against many chronic diseases that could change the course of your family’s life forever.

Collecting Stem Cells is easy! It only involves a quick five to ten minute procedure by the doctor immediately following birth, which neither harms the mother nor the child, and does not impede those crucial first minutes of bonding for mom and baby.

It’s up to you to decide what type of cord blood storage – public or private (family) – to choose; it costs parents nothing to donate their cord blood to a public cord blood bank. However, not all parents are eligible to donate and only the biggest donations are saved. These saved donations are not saved for the person that donated them specifically, but are rather listed on a registry that medical doctors can search on behalf of transplant patients and they will go to the first match. Family cord blood banks charge a fee to store cord blood, but they are solely kept as biological insurance for the family that deposited it.

Public Stem Cell banking could result in your child waiting for an indeterminate amount of time until an appropriate genetic match is found, if they can ever be found at all. This could waste crucial time in their healing process. If you do find yourself in need of a public bank, the price could even range upwards of $35,000.

Unlike public banks, children that use their own stem cells for therapeutic techniques see a decrease in immune rejection and disease transmission. Telomerix offers you the safety and security of knowing that if a time came that your child or their sibling(s) ever needed potentially life saving stem cells, they would be there for them and only them. No queue required.

Virginia was the first state to pass legislation where the bill itself explicitly endorses the use of educational materials from Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation. Virginia has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Virginia bill was enacted 9 Mar. 2010 and became effective 1 July 2010.