Pregnancy Questions

Cord tissue contains blood vessels supported by tissue called Wharton’s jelly, which is a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The surrounding tissue is also a rich source of other cell types, e.g., endothelial cells, which have different potential uses. MSCs collected from cord tissue are multi-potent, meaning they have the ability to regenerate and differentiate into many different types of cells including cartilage, bone, fat and muscle. This important characteristic means that they could potentially be used to treat more conditions than cord blood alone can treat.

Worldwide, cord blood has been used in over 40,000 transplants in the treatment of over 80 conditions. In Australia, over 500 cord blood units have been released to treat many conditions here and abroad. It is used for blood cancers, metabolic disorders and immune disorders. These include conditions such as Sickle cell disease, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma and aplastic anaemia.

Your baby’s umbilical cord stem cells are a perfect match for your child, and are more likely to be a match for siblings. The closer the match, the greater the likelihood of the body accepting the cells.

A number of Cell Care customers elect to delay clamping of the cord for 30 to 60 seconds prior to collection of their cord blood.

In the first 60 seconds after birth, up to 80% of blood volume is transferred from the placenta to the baby*. This means that up to 60 seconds of delayed cord clamping allows for your baby to receive the majority of cord blood at birth and still achieve sufficient cord blood for long term banking.

Delayed cord clamping does not affect the collection of cord tissue. This is something to consider when selecting your storage options. Over 60% of Cell Care clients elect to store both cord blood and tissue for their differing cell types and therapeutic applications.

It is proven that cord blood can be stored for 30 years and the cells will remain viable. It is believed that cord blood will be able to be stored for much longer, as continued validation happens over time. Bone marrow has been stored for decades using the same cryo-preservation techniques, so there is no reason to believe that the same would not be true for cord blood and tissue stem cells.