Stem cell banking has been around from 2001; it is being widely talked about only in the last few years. While quite a lot expectant parents these days have begun considering it as a way of securing their child’s health in the future, there are so many more who are yet to discover the multiple benefits of this system.
Dr Kiran Coelho, Consultant Gynecologist and Obstetrician at Hinduja Healthcare Surgical, Mumbai says, “stem cell banking is all about storing your stem cells. The umbilical cord blood is stored in a cord blood bank which can be helpful to people with certain disorder. Think of it as a kind of ‘biological insurance’.”
Now many people may argue that it is a very pricey affair, which it is (priced at Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh as one-time free plus monthly fees) and maybe a total waste if the child does not need it in the future. However, this condition only applies when one invests in a private cord blood bank, which stores cord blood solely for potential use by the donor or donor’s family.
Dr Coelho says, “there is another kind of bank called the public cord blood bank, which accepts donations to be used for anyone in need, and as such function like public blood banks. However, they aren’t as widely used as the private ones in India”.
Although anyone and everyone can and should opt to donate for free as this could help patients with hematological illnesses like thalassemia and blood cancer. Many people are in need of such stem cell transplant but find it difficult to find a match. When we begin to educate ourselves and donate, it helps beat the odds better. These stored cord blood stem cells have the potential in treating diseases of the blood and immune systems. Dr Coelho adds, “ongoing research also suggests these cells might be helpful in treating many more diseases of various organs although conclusive results have not been found yet.”
“As of now, around 80 odd diseases are treatable with stem cells. Hematological malignancies like acute leukemias, thalessemia, sickle cell anemia are the major disorders where stem cells are used. Other areas under research are non-hematological conditions like diabetes mellitus type 1, inborn metabolic disorders, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, liver disease (e.g.hepatitis B induced liver failure), multiple sclerosis and also areas of regenerative medicine like Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, autism and spinal cord injury.”
Well, that’s about the health benefits, but aside from that people are concerned about how much they can trust these cord banks, considering they’ve been widely talked about only so recently? Answering this question Dr Coelho says, “most companies follow the guidelines laid down by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and are hence trustworthy.”
She adds “today there are three public banks established in India – Relicord, Jeevan Cord and Stemcyte. Similarly, seven private banks have been established to date. These are Life Cell, Cryo Banks, Cryosave, Cord Life, Baby Cell, Stem One and ISSL (International Stem Cell Service) . Four of these are certified by ISO whereas Life cell and Relicord are accredited by AABB (Accredited Blood Banks).”
The process is also quite easy; all you have to do is enrol with the organisation and they will come pick the stem cells after birth. Remember, even if you do not wish to bank your cells privately, you can always consider donating, instead of just discarding it as medical waste. In fact, Dr Coelho mentions, “there are various guidelines that recommend it”, you may just have to make a little more effort to help save another person’s life.
However, if you do wish to opt for private banking, Dr Coelho says, “even at its high cost, it will be a worthwhile option, especially if there is any family history of a disorder which can be potentially treated by stem cells.” She adds, “almost 90 per cent of her patients today opt for private stem cell banking. People are aware of it and these organisations are efficient about educating the expectant parents about it.”
With that being said, although stem cell baking has these benefits, it may not be helpful in treating every kind of disorder. Gatyatri Patgaonkar, a Mumbai-based resident and mother of two, opted for private stem cell banking when she was pregnant with her second child. However, at birth they realised that the baby had a kidney disorder, which couldn’t be cured by stem cell banking. Nevertheless, she still is very optimistic about it as she feels that there is a very high scope for future research, apart from the current benefits offered. Additionally once banked, it can be used to treat any members of the family. So in a way it does offer long-term benefits for the whole family.
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