Stem Cells Banking
With great technological advancement in medical science, it is now possible for you to save your stem cells for future use. The concept of stem cell banking may sound very interesting to you but you should also know that this concept is one the most debated issues and controversial one. However, it is only the umbilical cord blood stem cells banking that is a debated issue whereas, the adult stem cell banking and embryonic stem cell banking do not have any controversy associated with it. This is mainly because it is found that using these cells for curing diseases does not have any side effect and that these cells can be stored for future usage, in case of any emergency.
The different types of adult stem cells, have their own unique characteristics. The usage of adult stem cells to treat a variety of diseases has increased tremendously in recent times. It is used for treating as many as 70 blood related diseases and disorders. These cells have already proved to be an effective cure for lupus, cartilage regeneration and bone marrow. Some scientists believe that adult stem cells can be used to treat Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, arthritis, diabetes, spinal cord injuries amongst others. It is therefore advisable that you store your adult stem cells, as it is very effective in treating so many diseases. It would be a wise decision to consider stem cells banking.
Harvesting cord blood stem cells can be very useful. In current times, harvesting the cord blood stem cells has not only become necessary but has also become a routine in most hospitals. The umbilical stem cells are often discarded as a waste product after the child birth. People are ignorant about the fact that stem cells have life saving potential for not only the newborn but also other members of the family. Therefore, if you plan to preserve your child’s umbilical cord stem cells then you must make advance inquiries and contact an umbilical cord blood bank for storing the stem cells. However, before preserving your newborns stem cell you must do a thorough research and look for various options before considering stem cells banking.
Medical practitioners recommend to plan stem cell banking as early as, during the fourth month of the pregnancy. However, before preserving the stem cells, the mother has to undergo a special medical test to ensure that she is eligible for preserving the stem cells. The mother also has to submit a consent form duly signed by her for allowing to save the stem cells in the bank. It would be advisable for you to consider stem cells banking, if you belong to a family, which has a history of hereditary disease, which is treatable only by bone marrow transplant or stem cell transplant.
The stem cells banks are of different types, public stem cells banks and private stem cell banks. The public banks are non-profit oriented while private banks are profit-oriented banks. The charges for saving the stem cells in private banks vary between $1,500 to $2,000. However, if you were preserving the stem cells for research purposes, it would cost you less. The time period for which banks provide storage is usually between 15 to 20 years. Non-profit cord blood banks offer free cord blood banking programs.
For more information on stem cell banking, you can log on to www.stemcellresources.org/ and www.cirm.ca.gov/.
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