News

Sep 2021   Cord blood banking is especially important for babies conceived with assisted reproductive technologies, such as egg or sperm (gamete) donors.

Sep 2021   Public cord blood banks may become sources of raw material for biotherapies. But first, challenges must be overcome. The immune cells in cord blood are very different from the immune system of an adult, and we must find out if this can be used to advantage. A technical challenge is that residual red blood cells must be thoroughly removed from cryopreserved cord blood before it can be used as a source for T-cell therapies.

Aug 2021   Registration is now open for the AABB 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting, to be held Oct. 17-19. AABB will host this event on a new state-of-the-art virtual platform, with enhanced opportunities for attendees to connect with one another.  AABB will offer Spanish sub-titles for the majority of sessions. This year's meeting will feature more sessions on education for early career members and more sessions on biotherapies.

Aug 2021   From 2011 to 2020 there were 112 clinical trials registered worldwide that employed cell therapy to restore fertility. The largest category was 49 trials to regenerate the uterine lining of infertile women. The most popular sources of cells for these trials was birth tissues such as the umbilical cord, placenta, and amnion. Multiple studies reported that infertile women that had failed conventional treatments succeeded in becoming pregnant after cell therapy.

Aug 2021   Eating your placenta is called Placentophagy. Most mammals eat their placenta, yet in ancient cultures human mothers did not eat their placenta. In recent years that has changed, with celebrity influencers popularizing the practice.

Jul 2021   This month ViaCord announces their Newborn Digestive Health screen, a genetic test for markers of Celiac disease and lactose intolerance that can be performed with a tiny amount of cord blood. Digestive disorders are among the most common issues faced by parents of babies and toddlers. With the Newborn Digestive Health screen, one test gives parents accurate knowledge of whether their baby is at risk for these digestive disorders.

Jul 2021   CRYOLIFE, located in Hong Kong, S.A.R. China, was the first family cord blood bank founded in Asia, 25 years ago. Cryolife is the only private cord blood bank in the world to offer potential clients an option to store their baby's cord blood now and pay two years later.

Jul 2021   Next Biobank (Netcells) has joined hands with the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) to make cord blood stem cells available to patients in need of a stem cell transplant. Parents that join the "Netcells Community Bank" have their baby’s cord blood HLA typed and listed on a worldwide public registry that can be searched by any patients in need.

Jun 2021   The ideal management of the umbilical cord at the time of birth is still a topic of reseach and controversy. Umbilical cord “milking” describes the practice of manually pushing blood from the umbilical cord into the newborn baby. Cord milking can be an alternative to delayed cord clamping in situations where a delay is not feasible or is not yielding blood transfer. With delayed cord clamping, there is a trade off between allowing cord blood to transfuse into the baby versus being able to collect cord blood for stem cell preservation. With cord milking, there is a risk of causing bleeding in the brains of very premature babies, the same babies that could potentially benefit most from the extra cord blood.  

Jun 2021   (1) In late pregnancy, over 450 ml (15 ounces) of blood passes through the placenta per minute. (2) At birth, a typical umbilical cord holds 60-80 ml (2-2.7 ounces) of blood. (3) The goal of Delayed Cord Clamping is for some of the cord blood to transfuse into the newborn. (4) If all the blood in the umbilical cord entered the baby, it would add 20% to the baby’s blood supply. (5) Delayed Cord Clamping is not possible for all births and does not ensure  the infant will receive extra blood. (6) Full term babies benefit from Delayed Cord Clamping with higher iron levels for up to 6 months. (7) Premature babies benefit from Delayed Cord Clamping with reduced complications from prematurity. (8) Delayed Cord Clamping has become the standard of care, but no one agrees how long to delay. MIDWIVES: 2-5 minutes -versus- OBSTETRICIANS: 30-60 seconds (9) There is a trade-off between Delayed Cord Clamping and collecting umbilical cord blood. (10) Preserving umbilical cord blood can give lifelong access to stem cells for future medical use.