Core blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord after it has been
cut but while it is still attached to the placenta. Ounce for ounce it is ten
times richer in stem cells than is bone marrow and it is used to treat the same
diseases as bone marrow transplants do. A study in the Nov 25, 2004 edition of the New England Journal
of Medicine concluded that core blood is at least equivalent to bone marrow
from unrelated donors. Core blood stem cells act as seeds or parent cells from
which other blood cells are made. Recent research has shown that stem cells
from core blood can also develop into brain, heart, or liver cells. Once
collected, core blood is tested and then is immediately available for
transplant. If not immediately transplanted, it is frozen in liquid nitrogen and
stored for up to ten years.
Uses of core blood
Core blood can be used to treat leukemia and other cancers and also blood
and immune diseases. There are more than 45 different disorders which can be
treated with cord blood. It can be used in place of a bone marrow transplant.
Graft versus host disease (GVHD), in which the cells attack the recipient's
tissue, appears to occur less frequently. This plus the ease of getting the
stem cells from the umbilical cord rather than the more difficult process of
getting them from a donor, make core blood a valuable resource.
Public vs. Private for Profit Banks
When the world knows a woman is pregnant, she and her husband are often
pressured by promotions and ads for private banks. The private banks claim that
by storing their baby's own core blood there would be a perfect match should
the need arise. This is a powerful argument and one that makes the cost--$250
to $1000 with annual storage fees of $50 to $100--seem well worth it. However,
the American Academy
of Pediatrics is opposed to private banking and the American
College of Obstetricians urges
"considerable circumspection." The argument against storing a baby's
own core blood for her later use is that her need for it is highly unlikely and
further that if the blood is needed it probably contains the disease for which
the child is being treated.