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Banking on Babies: The Potential of Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells

Expectant parents have a lot to look forward to. And in the midst of all the excitement it’s understandable that the planning for a future illness is not high on their priority list. But that’s exactly what Cleveland Obstetrician. Marcus Tower hopes they will do. He says their baby’s cord blood is a non-controversial source of stem cells with life-saving medical potential.

TOWER: There are probably over 80 existing diseases that we’ve proven that stem cells from the umbilical cord blood to be useful in treating.

But unless you're pregnant or thinking about it – you may not even know that blood from a baby's umbilical cord even has stem cells. Mary Laughlin is a renowned cord blood researcher. She says the political and ethical debate over stem cells collected from human embryos- has largely overshadowed the scientific strides made by cord blood science.

LAUGHLIN: While everybody is arguing over embryonic stem cells we're doing cord blood transplants.

Laughlin says in more than 99 percent of births cord blood is simply thrown away – either because women don't know about it, or they're put-off by the cost of banking with a private company. Most women learn about cord blood for the first time during pregnancy – either from their physician, from marketing materials mailed to them by private cord blood banks, or at childbirth classes like this one

SOT Childbirth Class//: Have any of you heard in your doctor’s office, or from friends about the donation of your baby’s cord blood at the time of birth?

Barbara Montague is a labor and delivery nurse at Hillcrest hospital. There are two types of cord blood banks she explains to her class: public and private. Private cord blood banks collect from virtually any hospital, then freeze and store an the baby's cord blood exclusively for their family's use, should they ever need it. The fee for this service is roughly 2 thousand dollars plus 125 dollars in annual maintenance. On the opposite end of the spectrum are public banks- they accept donations, then offer tissue-matched units in the bank to anyone who needs them. The donation process is free, but there is no guarantee the cells won’t be used for someone other than the donor.

The trouble is there are still relatively few public banks, making donation an option reserved for a select few.

LAUGHLIN: Many families privately bank because they don’t have access to a public bank

Mary Laughlin hopes the Cleveland Cord Blood Center - Ohio’s first and only public cord blood bank will change that. And judging from the program’s early success, she’s right. Barbara Montague often explains the donation process to mothers who arrive at Hillcrest Hospital in labor. Since the Cleveland Cord Blood Center began collecting there in February, she says they've rarely been turned down.

MONTAGUE: Hardly ever does anyone refuse. They see it as a good thing

New moms Stella Koufman and Maria Grobelney say they chose to donate because it's was easy, free, and the right thing to do.

KOUFMAN: I feel I’m bringing a life into this world why not save one if I can. I think it’s a no-brainer

GROBELNY: It doesn’t hurt the baby, it doesn’t hurt you, it has no effects whatsoever other than potentially helping you or someone else, so I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to do it really

Others do go the private cord blood route to ensure access to their very own stem cells. While experts say it’s rare that a child or family member will need their own cells, it is not necessarily a bad idea to use a private blood cord bank if there is a family history of genetic disease. Some parents, like Jennifer Miller, select a private bank because they just can’t help but wonder “what if”

MILLER: As a parent you constantly worrying and thinking what if this happens, and what if down the road my kid gets some kind of rare blood disorder or something like that , and I just remember thinking – I want to be prepared.

And that’s the sort of peace of mind only private cord blood banks can offer says David Zitlow, spokesperson for Cord Blood Registry, a private bank headquartered in Arizona. Still, it's more important he says to educate parents and ensure such a valuable resource doesn’t go to waste.

ZITLOW: I think the real enemy is a trash can. And anything that we can do to prevent cord blood cells from being thrown away is definitely a good thing.

On that point, both sides agree. Expansion of cord blood collection – either by public or private means - is the best way to bring powerful stem cell treatments to those who need them most. Gretchen Cuda 90.3

To learn how cord blood BECOMES valuable medicine, tune in tomorrow when Gretchen traces the path of these unique stem cells from the cord – to the clinic.