Cord blood is the type of blood obtained from human placenta and umbilical cord just after the birth of the child.

This blood proves to be lifesaving for the mankind as it contains large quantity of hematopoietic stem cells which can replicate into many white blood cells that increase human efficiency to fight various diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, cancers, sickle cell anemia, thalassemia etc.

It can even be used in substitution to bone marrow which is quiet costlier than cord blood. These cells can also develop into other organs and tissues of the human body.

It has been found that Cord blood is not only useful to the newly born and its family but it can also be used for the benefit of others. For this purpose, cord blood banking is done. It is a safe and painless method of preserving cord blood in which the umbilical cord is cut and blood is collected within 10 minutes after the birth. Then this cord blood is processed and stored, under ambient conditions, for its medical use in future.

There are two methods of collecting the cord blood namely syringe method, which is similar to the method of collecting blood for the blood test, and second is bag method. Before the delivery of the placenta, extraction of cord blood is termed as utero collection and after the birth the process of extraction is called ex-utero collection.

Cord blood is kept in sterile bags or syringes which are then quickly taken to a bank where it is stored. In the cord blood bank, the stem cells are removed from the other formed fundamentals in the blood, for example blood collected from placenta.

The process stage includes testing of blood for HIV, hepatitis B and C and for the determination of HLA type because if the baby’s blood itself is infected, then it is of no use. After the process work is completed, the CBEs are stored in the freezing environment of liquid nitrogen for the future use.

It is the choice of the individual whether he or she wants to donate his or her child’s cord blood or not. Once donated, it can be used by the donor and other person in need in the future. These cord blood banks can be both, public or private, and both are affiliated to any national blood society of the country.

Private cord blood banks store this blood in an association to the individuality of the donor whereas public cord blood banks used it for many other parents.

Now a days, many families are turning up for the banking of their child’s cord blood because research has proved that cord blood not only provide security to their child in making it immune towards various illness but it will also help other people for the treatment of many transplant treated disorders as mentioned above.

Thus cord blood donation should be encouraged for the public use for fighting against various aliments and also for the medical related research.

| Donating the umbilical cord blood of your baby to a public cord blood bank | FAMILY UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD SERVICES IS NO LESS THAN AN INSURANCE | Freezing process and the costs for umbilical cord bloo |Keeping cord blood safely is very important | Let us find out How to save cord blood | Many thanks to all the Cord Blood Banking Companies |Parent's guide to cord blood |The important role of a CORD BLOOD |