Many people are not aware that cord blood can be used for life-saving operations. Donating is completely painless and unlike donating
eggs or sperm, donating cord blood won't result in any offspring being created! You can donate
privately - where the cord blood is saved for your family's private use - or publically, where the cord blood goes into the public donor
bank where it could be used to save another life.
We've asked AusCord - a public donation service and BioCell - a private collection and storage company - for more info on donating cord blood.
Public Cord Blood Donation Services
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Your baby's birth could save a life through AusCord
Umbilical cord blood is the blood that remains in the placenta and cord. Cord blood is usually discarded after childbirth but it can
save someone's life. This blood contains stem cells that are the building blocks of blood and bone marrow and used as an
alternative to bone marrow for the treatment of leukaemia and other blood disorders.
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When is cord blood collected and what happens to our donation?
After the baby is delivered, cord blood is collected via the umbilical cord and placenta. The cord blood is tested for infectious
diseases and then stored frozen in liquid nitrogen for future use. Once the cord blood is "typed" and all the necessary tests
performed, information on the cord blood is placed onto a searchable database. When the cord blood is identified as a match for a
patient, it can be shipped anywhere in the world when it is needed.
11 year old Daniel and 22 year old Vanessa (pictured) both suffered from acute and aggressive forms of leukaemia. Cord blood
units from unrelated cord blood donors were literally taken "off the shelf" and given to them as life-saving procedures. Both Daniel
and Vanessa are enjoying life and living testaments that cord blood transplants save lives.
Do I have to pay for this?
No. There are no costs charged to parents for the donation of their baby's cord blood. This donation - whilst priceless to the life of
another - is donated to the publicly funded Australian Cord Blood Bank Network (AusCord).
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If my child developed leukaemia, can their own cord blood be used to treat themselves?
No. The least successful form of transplant is from the patient's own cord blood as the cord blood may have the predisposition to
develop leukaemia. The most appropriate source of stem cells is from another person whether it is a related or unrelated stem cell
donor.
If you would like to read more about the AusCord service, please click here.
Editor's Note: The number of hospitals where cord blood can be donated to the public bank is, unfortunately, limited.
For more information on collection facilities in your region, click here.
If you would like to have donated cord blood to the public bank,
but won't be, or didn't, give birth at any of the hospitals where donation facilities are currently available, please drop us a quick
email telling us which hospital you are likely to give
birth at, or gave birth at, and any other comments you might have about donating cord blood. We can't promise to change anything,
but we'd be interested to know how widespread interest is in such a service.
Private Cord Blood Donation Services
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There is only a 1 in 10,000 chance that your child will develop a disease that might be treated with a stem cell transplant, and even then the baby's own cord blood may not be the best source of stem cells to use. So why store cord blood?
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Every week there are new papers describing a new property of adult stem cells (cord blood stem cells are "adult" stem cells, as
opposed to Embryonic Stem Cells), and it is almost certain that the number of clinical uses to which they can be put will increase
dramatically over the next 10-20 years. These might include treatment of diabetes, growing new nerve cells (this can already be
done in the laboratory), perhaps repair damaged heart tissue. But there are many sources of "adult stem cells" - why cord blood?
Each cell in the body, including stem cells, has a type of internal clock, called telomeres, that limits the number of cell divisions that
it can undergo. Cord blood stem cells have this clock set at the earliest possible time, so they can divide more as well as faster.
They also haven't been exposed to radiation and other environmental damage. Because of this, there is reason to believe (and
evidence to support this belief) that cord blood stem cells may be a particularly effective and favourable source of stem cells for
some of the treatments that are likely to be developed in coming years. And of course there is only one chance to collect them.
Private cord blood banks are therefore a type of insurance - you hope you wont need them. But if you do want to store these cells
now, it is important to know that they will be available if the need arises, and that the company storing your cells can ensure this.
You can't rely on how long the company has been in business, since this sort of business has only been in existence for a few years.
So make sure, particularly if you are paying the full storage fee up front, that money is being set aside to guarantee that the stored
cells will be cared for even if something happens to the company over the next 18 years.
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BioCell Australia Pty Ltd
Website: www.biocellaustralia.com
Phone: Freecall 1800 071 075
Editor's Note: Private cord blood collection services operated by the private cord blood banks are much more widespread across Australia and can be arranged
at a number of hospitals. Call your chosen service for more details.
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