One very topical issue is the storage of your newborn’s cord blood. Lifebank is a local company in British Columbia, Canada, that stores cord blood in liquid nitrogen, for an initial charge of about $1000 dollars and then an annual fee of $125 to store it until needed. There are many local such private banks throughout Canada and in the States.
The umbilical cord is rich in stem cells, which are the precursors to all cell-based organs in the human body. They can potentially be used in patients as a better option than bone-marrow transplant for patients with blood-borne cancers such as leukemia and Hodgkin’s lymphoma and in sickle cell anemia.
Because stem cells can develop cells for any organ system, they are considered to be a possible future treatment for myriad of diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), diabetes, stroke, and diseases of the liver, kidneys, spinal cord, etc. The advantage of using a bank at this point is a matter of contention.
We are still many years away from using stem cells in such a diverse way. One view is that stem cells can be used on any individual, and that if use of them advances, this would result in private or government-run banks, which would not be money- driven and which would provide the donated cord blood to those in need.
Several banks are currently being developed with a view to non-profit stem-cell provision. Many people feel they can put their money to better use by establishing an educational fund using their cord-bank contributions over 18 years to equal a substantial return for their child’s college education. I tend to agree with them.
By Dr D
