Frequently Asked Questions

KNOWLEDGE BASE

Be equipped with all the necessary information to make an informed decision for your family today.
You may search by the following topics, which includes a list of enquiries answered by our Medical Director previously.

Cord Blood Banking
Cord Blood Stem Cells
Cord Blood Banking Process
Cord Stem Cells
About Stemcord & Administrative
Ask Medical Director

CORD BLOOD BANKING

Cord blood banking is the collection and storage of blood taken from the umbilical cord after the baby is delivered.
Storing cord blood is suitable for every mother unless your gynaecologist has cautioned you of a difficult or complicated pregnancy. Cord blood banking is particularly useful and advisable for the following groups of people as a form of biological insurance:

Families with history of blood disorder and cancers
Cord blood banking potentially offers stem cell transplant as an extra treatment option.

Small families and single child families, mothers with difficult or late pregnancies, or sub-fertile couples
As the child may be the only child and hence will not have any donor if he develops any disease that requires a stem cell transplant.

Couples of Different Ethnic Groups
It will be difficult for these couples to find a donor from public cord blood banks as the genetic constitution would be very different.

The First Born Child
It is advisable to bank cord blood for the first born as we will not know if subsequent pregnancies will be successful. If the first born turns out to be the only child, he will not have any siblings to depend on for blood stem cells, should he require any.

Each child’s cord blood stem cell sample is unique. Saving the cord blood for each of your children will help ensure that an exact genetic match is available. In addition, it increases the likelihood of a useful match between family members. For identical twins, it is recommended that cord blood be collected for both babies to save as many stem cells as possible. This is because the collection volume per baby in multiple births is usually smaller, so collecting for both babies helps ensure an adequate stem cell yield for transplantation if ever needed.
The safety and viability of your baby’s stem cells are far more important than the proximity of the storage location. The most important criteria for your family’s selection of a cord blood bank is to ensure that:

1. Your baby’s cord blood collection yields the greatest number of stem cells possible and that the cells are viable and available if they are ever needed for transplant. StemCord has contributed to the care of patients with cancers. The successful engraftment of stem cells processed, stored and used in conventional stem cell transplants is a testament to the reliability of StemCord’s stringent processing and storage methods.
2. StemCord’s two laboratories and storage facilities are located in Singapore that is not subject to major environmental disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes. The cord blood can be shipped to any medical centre in the world should there be a  need to retrieve your child’s cord blood for treatment.
3. The cord blood bank is financially stable and will be around in the future to ensure your baby’s stem cells will be available if needed. StemCord was founded with long-term storage objectives in mind as it believes that the best uses of stem cells will be in the future.

Each child’s cord blood stem cell sample is unique. Saving the cord blood for each of your children will help ensure that an exact genetic match is available. In addition, it increases the likelihood of a useful match between family members. For identical twins, it is recommended that cord blood be collected for both babies to save as many stem cells as possible. This is because the collection volume per baby in multiple births is usually smaller, so collecting for both babies helps ensure an adequate stem cell yield for transplantation if ever needed.
Yes. Your baby’s cord blood can potentially be used for other family members, especially his siblings. This is because we can still use the stem cells, with up to two antigens mismatches, in cord blood transplants.
When you donate your baby’s cord blood to a public bank, it may be used for research or by someone else. It is important for parents to understand that not all donated samples are banked. This same discipline applies to a normal blood donation drive that not everybody is suitable for blood donation. A rejection from the public banks could be based on family medical history, maternal medical history, collection volume, and examination of the maternal blood sample.
Cord blood collection is a procedure that usually takes less than five minutes immediately after delivery and can be performed in utero or caesarean deliveries and for multiple births. After your baby is born and the cord has been clamped and cut, the blood will be drawn from the cord before it is discarded. StemCord uses the bag collection method to collect the cord blood into the collection bag.
To date, more than 80 diseases* can be treated involving stem cell transplantation. Research is being conducted using stem cells for treatment in cellular repair and regeneration and emerging applications of stem cells are listed under Future of Stem Cells.
The collection of cord blood is a safe, painless and quick procedure. Since cord blood is only collected after your baby has been safely delivered, and the procedure carried out by your attending physician, it does not pose significant risk1 to you or your baby. It also does not affect the care of both mother and child during the delivery itself.
1To ensure the quality and safety of the cord blood collection, each doctor and hospital staff involved is required to undergo procedural training. However, please note that for every collection there is still a risk of breach of confidentiality, coercion to donate, a needle stick and emotional and ethical issues associated with the collection, storage and use of the cord blood unit.
If you do not reside in Singapore, international couriers will also provide customs clearance and guarantee the safe and quick delivery of your baby’s cord blood. Alternatively, if you are residing in Indonesia, Philippines or Brunei, you may contact our regional office.
The amount of stem cells that can be collected varies from baby to baby, depending on whether they are small babies or there are thin cords. The amount of stem cells that can be extracted in turn depends on the volume of cord blood collected and the cell count.
It is important to maximise the volume of cord blood that can be extracted from the umbilical cord and amount of stem cells that can be eventually collected. The cell count obtained can vary due to a variety of reasons, such as premature or multiple births, and complications during delivery. Cell counts exceeding 1 billion nucleated cells occur in about 25% of StemCord’s collections.
Today, scientifically it is proven that storage of Cord Blood can stretch till 23 years. However many studies have shown that as long as it is properly stored, cord blood can be stored indefinitely.
The first successful cord blood transplant was performed in 1988, on a five-year old boy with Fanconi Anemia, while the first cord blood bank was established in 1992. In Singapore, StemCord has been operational as a private autologous cord blood bank since 2002. Today, more than 35,000 families have chosen to bank their baby’s cord blood with StemCord.

CORD BLOOD STEM CELLS

Umbilical cord blood is also known as placental blood. Your baby’s umbilical cord blood a rich source of stem cells, which are immature, pluripotent cells that can produce all other blood cells, including platelets and red and white blood cells. Umbilical cord blood can be used to treat various genetic disorders that affect the blood and immune system, leukemia and certain solid tumours and some inherited disorders.
Blood stem cells, most often found deep in the bone marrow and in the peripheral blood circulation, are the factory of the blood system. They are crucial for stem cell transplants (SCT). SCT is a very important treatment option for many blood disorders and cancers. Hence, various blood stem cell banks have been set up across the world to provide potential blood stem cell donors. These stem cell banks are in the form of bone marrow registries and cord blood banks.
To date, more than 80 diseases* can be treated involving stem cell transplantation. Research is being conducted using stem cells for treatment in cellular repair and regeneration and emerging applications of stem cells are listed under Future of Stem Cells.
Painless & Safe Collection
Blood stem cells from cord blood are easier to harvest. The harvesting process does not pose significant risk 1 to both mother and child. Harvesting blood stem cells from the bone marrow requires general anaesthesia, which entails some health risk. Bone marrow harvesting also involves some pain, as opposed to no pain at all with cord blood harvesting.
Readily Available
The stored cord blood stem cells are always readily available. This is a potential advantage as we do not waste precious time searching for potential blood stem cell donors. In some conditions, e.g. Aplastic Anemia, the time to a stem cell transplant is critical and having some blood stem cells readily available is very important and can minimise disease progression.
Easier to Match
Stem cell transplants using cord blood has less Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) and is therefore less risky for the recipient. This is because cord blood stem cells are less mature than those from the bone marrow and peripheral blood, and can successfully be used even when there is only a half-match. Due to lower GVHD risk, cord blood transplants can be attempted even if there is no perfect HLA matching. In private cord blood banking, the stored blood stem cells are kept for the individual. In view of the above, the stored cord blood stem cells can potentially be used for other family members.

1 To ensure the quality and safety of the cord blood collection, each doctor and hospital staff involved is required to undergo procedural training. However, please note that for every collection there is still risk of breach of confidentiality, coercion to donate, a needle stick and emotional and ethical issues associated with the collection, storage and use of the cord blood unit.

The Human Leukocyte Antigens need to be perfectly matched in usual stem cell transplants. These antigens are present in white cells and are responsible for rejection or Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD). Matching refers to the proteins called Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) that appear on the surface of white blood cells and other tissues in the body. These six HLA points, or loci, determine tissue compatibility between a patient and a donor. Although a perfect match would be best, studies have shown that cord blood transplants can be successful, even when only four of the six loci match. With cord blood, the immune cells are less mature than those in bone marrow, and therefore siblings are twice as likely to be able to use each other’s cord blood, compared to bone marrow.
GVHD is one of the most common and life threatening side effects of a stem cell/bone marrow transplant. It is the leading cause of death in stem cell transplant patients. GVHD occurs when the transplanted stem cells recognise the recipient’s body as foreign, and “reject” it. Cord blood transplants have had a noticeable lack of GVHD because the stem cells from the donor do not need to match the recipient as closely as with bone marrow.
About 75% match for siblings. About 25% match for parents. However, this does not mean that it will definitely have a true matching.
Cord blood stem cells (and stem cells in general) are used primarily to treat blood disorders and cancers. Its future potential uses will only be limited by our imagination.
Cord blood has been used in thousands of transplants for children and adults around the world. Research has demonstrated that cord blood stem cells can differentiate into other types of cells in the body. The regenerative qualities of stem cells have been brought to the forefront in the field of cellular repair. Stem cells have been labeled an important biological resource and researchers are conducting more and more studies to unlock the potential of umbilical cord blood stem cells in future applications for diseases like Alzheimer’s, brain injury, cerebral palsy, corneal regeneration, diabetes, juvenile diabetes, heart and liver disease, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, and stroke.

New uses for cord blood stem cells are being discovered rapidly. However, banking cord blood does not guarantee that the cells will provide a cure or be applicable for every situation. The treating physician will determine the ultimate use. The use of cord blood stem cells for emerging treatments is experimental. Please consult your physician.

As we deal only with the storage and release of stored cord blood, we lack access to the tabulated statistics for success rates of cord blood retrieval cases. But we do know of these few cases in which clients have benefited from their retrieval cases.
Unlike using stem cells taken from embryos, there are no ethical issues involved in the collection or usage of stem cells from cord blood. If cells from this source are not stored, the blood is discarded and hence valuable stem cells will be lost. Collection of these unique cells will only be possible and available at time of birth of the child.

CORD BLOOD BANKING PROCESS

COLLECTING CORD BLOOD

Cord blood collection is a procedure that usually takes less than five minutes immediately after delivery and can be performed in utero or caesarean deliveries and for multiple births. After your baby is born and the cord has been clamped and cut, the blood will be drawn from the cord before it is discarded. StemCord use the bag collection method to collect the cord blood into the collection bag.
The collection of cord blood is a safe, painless and quick procedure. Since cord blood is only collected after your baby has been safely delivered, and the procedure carried out by your attending physician, it does not pose significant risk 1 to you or your baby. It also does not affect the care of both mother and child during the delivery itself.

1 To ensure the quality and safety of the cord blood collection, each doctor and hospital staff involved is required to undergo procedural training. However, please note that for every collection there is still risk of breach of confidentiality, coercion to donate, a needle stick and emotional and ethical issues associated with the collection, storage and use of the cord blood unit.

Yes. The number of good stem cells will become lesser if the cord clamping is delayed. It depends on how long the cord clamping is being delayed as well the quantity of stem cells available in the umbilical cord.
After enrolment with StemCord, you will receive a cord blood collection box to be bring along to the hospital on the day of delivery. A collection kit contains all the items your doctor needs to collect your baby’s cord blood are being placed at the hospital and will be issued to you upon your admission.
After receiving your phone call following the delivery of your baby at the hospital, our transport personnel will pick up the cord blood sample directly from the hospital. The cord blood sample will be delivered to our laboratories for processing and storage.
The amount of stem cells that can be collected varies from baby to baby, depending on whether they are small babies or there are thin cords. The amount of stem cells that can be extracted in turn depends on the volume of cord blood collected and the cell count.
It is important to maximise the volume of cord blood that can be extracted from the umbilical cord and the amount of stem cells that can be eventually collected. The cell count obtained can vary due to a variety of reasons, such as premature or multiple births, and complications during delivery. Cell counts exceeding 1 billion nucleated cells occur in about 25% of StemCord’s collections.
We see about one per cent of bacteria contamination in our collection. This is well within the worldwide reported figure. It is intrinsic to the umbilical cord and not a result of laboratory activities.
If you do not reside in Singapore, international couriers will also provide customs clearance and guarantee the safe and quick delivery of your baby’s cord blood.

PROCESSING & STORAGE OF CORD BLOOD

After collection, the cord blood is transported to the laboratory. It will be then processed by a trained laboratory specialist and systematically frozen, minus one degree at a time. When it reaches an optimal temperature of -180 degrees Celsius, it will then be stored in liquid nitrogen tanks.
Cord blood is collected with bag method and we store the cord blood sample in multiple cryo units. There is no possibility of cross-contamination as units are hermetically sealed. Each unit is specifically designed for long-term cryogenic storage at low temperatures and have a long history of proven dependability and flexibility for future use.
StemCord stores cord blood in multiple cryo units. With promising developments in the field of Regenerative Therapy using stem cells, storing stem cells in two cryobags provide the capacity for multiple treatments if needed. We also take the extra step to split the cord blood units into two locations for added security and peace of mind.

Storing cord blood separately will not reduce the cell dose

Having your baby’s cord blood stored separately will not reduce the cell dose and compromise the outcome of future treatments. This is because when you store with a private cord blood bank, all the cord blood units belong to your child for your family’s own use. This is an important difference from hybrid cord blood banks 1 , which also exist.

1 A hybrid cord blood bank splits your cord blood unit into two separate deposits, for both private and public use. Given that the cell dose is an important predictor of successful transplant outcomes, 2–4 such ‘split CB units’ might place their potential recipients at a disadvantage and their application, therefore, unlikely, unless successful stem expansion becomes practical in this setting. (Rubinstein, P. (2009) Cord blood banking for clinical transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplantation. 44. pp. 635-642)

It’s carried out in a clean room under strict procedures and processed within a closed system by sepax machine, therefore containing the possibility of contamination.
Yes you may with an additional cost for the bag but it also depends on the cell count you have.
StemCord stores your baby’s cord blood stem cells separately at two of its laboratories and storage facilities in Singapore. Our facilities operate under controlled conditions to guarantee the safety and sterility of the cord blood samples.

For added security, our laboratories also feature back up generators, computer monitoring systems that limit entry to the cryogenic vault strictly to authorised personnel. There are also communication systems that maintain constant contact with our technicians while monitoring the laboratory and storage areas.

The facility and systems are monitored twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, to ensure the long-term security of your family’s stem cells.

Each cord blood sample received is handled only by a single dedicated laboratory specialist right through the various processing stages. When you enroll with StemCord, your baby’s collection kit is assigned a unique identifier, and this same identifier always remains with your baby’s cord blood kit, paperwork, and sample. This identifier is marked and attached to each cryo unit, and these units are stored in a designated location. There is also a double-containment storage system, which is designed to eliminate the potential risk of cross-contamination during long-term storage. This system provides the most secure, long-term cryogenic storage available.
Today, scientifically it is proven that storage of Cord Blood can stretch till 23 years. However many studies have shown that as long as it is properly stored, cord blood can be stored indefinitely.
After receiving your baby’s birth certificate, a StemCord certificate will be issued and mailed to you for the successful storage of your baby’s cord blood.
Right from the beginning, StemCord has put in place many quality checks and work processes to maintain the viability of these cryopreserved stem cells. These measures are in strict accordance with the standards of the American Association of Blood Banks and have been certified by the licensing unit of the Ministry of Health. In addition, we have acquired accreditation for FACT- NetCord International Standards for Cord Blood Collection, Processing, Testing, Banking, Selection and Release of autologous cord blood units.

2 Current medical literature proves that stem cells can maintain viability for 23 years.

Sources:

Broxmeyer HE, et al. Hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, generation of induced pluripotent stem cells, and isolation of endothelial progenitors from 21 – 23.5-year cryopreserved cord blood. Blood. 2011. 117(18): 4773-4777. doi:10.1182/blood-2011- 01-330514 http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/content/117/18/4773.full.pdf
Linden JV, Preti RA, Dracker R. New York state guidelines for cord blood banking.Journal of Hematotherapy. 1997;6:535-41. Scaradavou, Stevens, Dobrila, Sung, Ruinstein. “Age” of the cord blood (CB) unit: Impact of long-term cryopreservation and storage on transplant outcomes. Abstract presented at: 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology; 2008.

We are backed by a strong panel of medical doctors who are. Hence, to benefit our clients, our company has implemented at least 200 million cells counts to sustain an approximate weight of 10-kg recipient. However, you can still decide whether you want to continue to store even if it is a low cell count case.
Low Cell Count: It often occurred to premature deliveries and multiple births like twin or triplets, low volume, small placenta or short umbilical cord.
Fungal Contamination: It is more frequent to pregnancy of more than 40 weeks
Cord Blood: HIV, fungal culture, low cell count (below 200 million cell counts).

RETRIEVING CORD BLOOD

Should the need arise, call StemCord’s 24-hour hotline at (65) 6471 2002 and we will make the necessary arrangements to release and transport your baby’s stem cells to the designated hospital.
StemCord acknowledges that the mother shall, at all times, remain the legal and beneficial owner of the cord blood up to point when the child attains the age of 21. After which, the mother is at liberty to arrange for her rights to the Cord Blood to be assigned to the Child for the storage and maintenance of the Cord Blood.
Nope. However, StemCord will provide adequate assistance in ensuring that the cord blood is properly transported.

It depends on which country you are going to send. It ranges around a few thousands plus.

It is subjected to insurance coverage of appointed transporter.

CORD STEM CELLS

It is not advisable. Failure to preserve and protect the Umbilical Cord with DMSO will lead to poor cell recovery, slower growth characteristics, reduce plating efficiency and further complications. It will also risk damaging the Umbilical Cord and cause irreversible effects.
You may store only the Cord stem Cells (Cord Tissue). However, we would also encourage you to take up Cord Blood banking because the type of stem cell retrieved from Cord Blood provides a better coverage for the treatment of blood related diseases whereas Cord Stem Cells (Cord Tissue) is required for regenerative treatment.
Yes, Cord Stem Cells can be used in other countries.
Storing of Cord Blood can be used for treating blood related diseases and also regenerative treatment. Cord Stem Cells (Cord Tissue) is hopeful
There will be an additional charge should you need the services to culture the cord stem cells. This service can be provided by Stemcord affiliate company, Stem Med Pte Ltd.
StemCord is not able to accept samples that are HIV positive and fungal culture.

ABOUT STEMCORD & ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

ABOUT STEMCORD

StemCord is founded by a group of renowned medical doctors who are proficient in stem cells field.

StemCord stores in 2 bags in 2 different storage facilities. This extra bag and storage location give an added assurance to our clients in the event of unforeseen circumstances to happen to your collected cord blood sample if stored in only 1 bag and 1 facility.

StemCord has an affiliated company known as “Stem Med” (www.stem-med.sg) whose service is focus in adult stem cell banking and wholly own ISO 5 cleanrooms.

StemCord processes the entire umbilical cord before freezing the extracted cord stem cells. Studies have shown that extracting and culturing the stem cells before storage increases cell yield eight times more than the cell yield from frozen tissue.

StemCord allows early termination with pro-rated refund. We do not bind our clients unfairly to our long term contract including the 21- year one.

StemCord works closely with public-listed company called TalkMed, and provide a stem cell transplant solution especially to our StemCord clients. StemCord provides a transplant medicare of $50,000 coverage in the event that our clients do need to use the stem cell for treatment.

Cord blood is collected with bag method and we store the cord blood sample in multiple cryo units. There is no possibility of cross-contamination as units are hermetically sealed. Each unit is specifically designed for long-term cryogenic storage at low temperatures and have a long history of proven dependability and flexibility for future use.
StemCord stores cord blood in multiple cryo units. With promising developments in the field of Regenerative Therapy using stem cells, storing stem cells in two cryobags provide the capacity for multiple treatments if needed. We also take the extra step to split the cord blood units into two locations for added security and peace of mind.
Having your baby’s cord blood stored separately will not reduce the cell dose and compromise the outcome of future treatments. This is because when you store with a private cord blood bank, all the cord blood units belong to your child for your family’s own use. This is an important difference from hybrid cord blood banks 1 , which also exist.

1 A hybrid cord blood bank splits your cord blood unit into two separate deposits, for both private and public use. Given that the cell dose is an important predictor of successful transplant outcomes, 2–4 such ‘split CB units’ might place their potential recipients at a disadvantage and their application, therefore, unlikely, unless successful stem expansion becomes practical in this setting.

(Rubinstein, P. (2009) Cord blood banking for clinical transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplantation. 44. pp. 635-642)

Should the scenario arise, StemCord had entered an agreement with another company to take over the business operation from StemCord.

ADMINISTRATIVE FAQ

Storage can be renewed as per the existing signed agreement at the applicable storage rate/fee at that point in time. Ownership can also be transferred to the child since he/she would mature to be of adult age. Fresh agreement will be signed at that point in time if ownership is to be transferred to the child.
You are required to give us 60 days termination notice via email or written notice. If you have paid advance payment, we will do a refund of the remaining sum, if any. However, we will charge the full amount of the enrolment fee and the number of stored year(s). The remaining storage years will be refunded accordingly. There is no penalty or admin charge to request for termination if written termination notice is duly given.
Yes. You may still store the cord blood and storage fee will remain unchanged. However, the bonus covers will cease to be applicable.
The ownership belongs to the mother. So, if the mother agrees to it, we will release the stored samples. However, this may violate relevant law or raise possible ethical concerns. StemCord is solely a cord blood bank that helps you to store the cord blood, we will leave it to the mother for her request.
StemCord currently do not provide the service of placenta collection. Please notify your nurse that you want to keep the placenta. If you have opted for Cord Blood and/or Cord Stem Cell Banking, the doctor will draw the cord blood then cut the umbilical cord for Cord Stem Cells (Cord Tissue) banking. Only after the Cord blood/Cord Stem Cells (Cord Tissue) collection procedures, the placenta will then be passed back to you.

ASK OUR MEDICAL DIRECTOR
(DR TEO CHENG PENG)

We would like to help you further with your concerns regarding cord blood banking, stem cells and medical conditions that may affect the cord blood banking process. Here, we have provided a list of enquiries that have been fielded by our Medical Director in the past.

It’s not wrong to associate blood cancers immediately with Leukaemia because it seems the most appropriate definition. For us haematologists, we include Lymphoma, Myeloma and Leukaemia. These three are the most common type of blood cancers.

Firstly, these cancers originate from the blood tissues or cells found in the blood. You have different types of blood cells – white blood cells, red blood cells, plasma and platelets. Cancer of the white blood cells is known as Leukaemia. This occurs when there is an abnormal increase of these cells in the body. Cancer of the plasma cells is known as Myeloma. Lymphoma refers to the cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system where these lymphoid cells present itself as a solid tumour. People should also know that if you have a high level of platelets in your blood, it is not cancer even though we still consider this to be a bone marrow problem. However, in some cases – 5 to 10 per cent – these cells may develop into Leukaemia years later.

Having Thalassemia Minor or the Thalassemia trait is usually a mild blood disorder. Your life expectancy is normal and you are not prone to more medical illnesses than any other person. However, you should inform your obstetricians of your carrier status during the early antenatal period so that screening tests can be done.

As long as the baby is not at risk of being a Thalassemia Major, cord blood can be collected and stored, especially for autologous (one’s own) usage. The cord blood stem cells of babies born with Thalassemia Major are defective and hence, not useful for storage.

On the contrary, Hepatitis B carriers (especially mothers) can actually store their child’s cord blood, strictly for autologous use without any major issues. Your baby will usually be vaccinated at birth and immunised against the same virus. Hence, even in the worst case scenario where the cord blood is contaminated with the virus, the immunised child will be protected. Furthermore, there are now many effective medications that can eradicate the virus even if one becomes infected. While there are no vaccines available for the Hepatitis C virus as yet, there are effective treatments that can eradicate the virus. Therefore, storing cord blood is still feasible.

However, the cord blood will have to be more strictly examined if it is to be used. The pros and cons of using the cord blood must be weighed more carefully and the usage of the cord blood must be solely for autologous purposes.

It is a widely known fact that stem cells, whether they are from cord blood, bone marrow, peripheral blood or adipose tissue, have all been successfully used to treat diseases through both Stem Cell Transplants (SCT) and Regenerative Therapy. This is possible because some diseases are not due to abnormal genes.

For example, cerebral palsy is caused by hypoxia (a lack of oxygen to the brain) and can be treated with Regenerative Therapy using your son’s own cord blood stem cells. For other cancers like Wilm’s tumour, a type of childhood cancer, the cancer does not originate from the bone marrow or cord blood. Using one’s own cord blood stem cells can actually increase the chances of cure as they have not been exposed to chemotherapy and are therefore better in quality.

For Leukaemias, the best chance of a cure is to use stem cells from a fully matched sibling or unrelated donor. If no such donors are available, using your son’s stored cord blood stem cells is a reasonable option. Data from the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry shows that autologous SCTs provide cures. However, for certain conditions such as haemogloblinopathies (e.g. thalassaemia major or sickle cell anaemia), the defect is inherent in the bone marrow cells. A donor will be needed to provide stem cells without the primary defect for a SCT.

Therefore, while there is some truth that the presence of abnormal genes may prevent the use of stem cells in some diseases, there are many other types of diseases where the usage is not influenced by this concern at all.

“Sometimes the strength of the motherhood is greater than natural laws.”Barbara Kingsolver

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