Over 14 years old and as good as new
One of the most impressive properties of cord blood stem cells is their longevity in proper cryogenic storage. The CooperSurgical laboratory recently released a sample that had been in storage for 14 years and five months. Although this sample had been in storage for more than a decade, the sample was still deemed suitable for use by the patient’s treating physician, which is consistent with previous research.2
This sample stands as a testament to the incredible potential of cord blood preservation. It’s essential for parents to know that when stored properly, cord blood remains viable indefinitely.2 This should provide you with peace of mind that your decision to continue to bank your baby’s cord blood may potentially be a valuable investment in their future.
Preserve for every child
Cells for Life® encourages families to save every child’s newborn stem cells to increase their genetic matching potential. A child is always a 100% match to themselves, and full siblings have a 75% chance of being at least a partial genetic match. Because some conditions treated with stem cell transplants are genetic, often cells from a donor who does not have the genetic condition are used for treatment.
One of the CooperSurgical laboratory’s releases this year was for a child who needed a stem cell transplant to help treat sideroblastic anemia, a rare, sometimes genetic disorder where the body improperly uses iron during red blood cell production, leading to anemia and iron overload.3 The family was fortunate that the child’s sibling who’s cord blood they preserved was a close enough match for a transplant.
In another instance, there was also a release for the treatment of chronic granulomatous disease, a genetic disorder where white blood cells are unable to kill certain types of bacteria and fungi.4 In this context, the family was able to preserve the sibling’s newborn stem cells at birth which ended up being a match for the affected child. Both of these releases show the value of preserving for every child for the increase in matching potential and to potentially treat genetic disorders.
A versatile treatment option
Many parents may not be aware that cord blood stem cells are being used in research for their potential to treat certain speech disorders.5,6 Three releases were recently intended specifically for childhood apraxia, shedding light on the value of cord blood in potentially treating this condition.
Apraxia is a neurological condition that affects the patient’s ability to produce words and syllables clearly and consistently.7 The cause may be unknown and can affect anyone, making the condition unpredictable and challenging for families.7 What’s even more remarkable is that one of the cases involved cord blood preserved for a different medical need within the family. However, when the child whose cord blood was stored was diagnosed with apraxia, they were able to utilize the stored sample for an experimental regenerative medicine treatment.
Celebrate World Cord Blood Day with us!
Cord blood is a resource with remarkable potential in the treatment of certain medical conditions and can be a game-changer for families. Preserving cord blood has provided a pathway for some Cells for Life families to qualify for participation in regulated clinical trials and investigational protocols and has allowed others to receive life-saving stem cell transplants.8 Share the incredible potential of newborn stem cells with your expecting friends and family.
If you or your loved ones are expecting, here’s some exciting news! Enroll with Cells for Life today or refer a friend. When someone you refer preserves with Cells for Life, you’ll receive a cheque or storage credit to fund your storage fees.*
Join us in making a difference this World Cord Blood Day!
1. Mayani, H., Wagner, J.E. & Broxmeyer, H.E. Cord blood research, banking, and transplantation: achievements, challenges, and perspectives. Bone Marrow Transplant 55, 48–61 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-019-0546-9. 2. Broxmeyer HE, Lee MR, Hangoc G, et al. Hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, generation of induced pluripotent stem cells, and isolation of endothelial progenitors from 21- to 23.5-year cryopreserved cord blood. Blood. 2011;117(18):4773-7. 3. Ashorobi D, Chhabra A. Sideroblastic Anemia. [Updated 2023 Jul 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538287/ 4. Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) (2020) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/chronic-granulomatous-disease-cgd (Accessed: 24 October 2023). 5. McLaughlin C, West T, Hollowell R, Skergan N, Giguere P, Vinesett R, Arbuckle E, Cash J, Hoyle K, Crane S, Moore L, Waters-Pick B, Hawkins T, Prasad V, Sun J, Kurtzberg J. Expanded Access Protocol of Umbilical Cord Blood Infusion for Children with Neurological Conditions: An Update. Stem Cells Transl Med. 2021 Sep 1;10(S1):S7-S8. doi: 10.1002/sct3.13016. PMID: 35599372; PMCID: PMC8449593. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8449593/. 6. “Expanded Access Protocol: Umbilical Cord Blood Infusions for Children With Brain Injuries.” CTG Labs – NCBI, Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, 5 Sept. 2023, clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03327467. 7. Morgan, AT, Murray, E, Liegeois, FJ, eds. Interventions for childhood apraxia of speech. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;2015(5). 8. Internal data on file.
*Refer-a-Friend Program: See website for referral terms and conditions.
