Saturday 28 February 2015

Small Price to Pay For Priceless Benefits of Cord Blood Banking In India

Cord blood banking is quickly becoming an essential tool for treatment of major diseases. Given the rapid growth of treatment options in the field of medicine, stem cell therapy, is one of the major breakthroughs in this field. The day is not far when not only serious and potentially life threatening but also routine illnesses will be treated successfully by stem cell treatment. For that future to happen it is imperative that more parents opt for cord blood banking of their newborn today. As, the cells preserved today will be the ones to be utilised in the future.

Cord blood banking is a completely hassle free procedure in which the mother and her new born are not inconvenienced at all. Rather, in the excitement of the arrival of the new baby it will be difficult for anybody to notice the process of extraction. It is a completely safe and painless procedure, where the needle is inserted into the umbilical vein still attached to the placenta and several ounces of blood from that cord are taken as samples. The important point to be noted is that there should be no delay in collection of the blood, since it starts clotting and can become useless.

With such a medical breakthrough, more people are becoming increasingly aware and opting for cord blood banking. But, cord blood banking price can be prohibitive and take it out of the reach of common individuals. Other countries have public stem cell banks where the cells are available for the treatment of individuals.

The cord blood banking price includes collection of the sample, processing, annual storage and shipping in the first year. From the next year, one is required to pay only the annual storage fees. Some countries also give the option of storing it for a lifetime. Generally, storage is initially done only for 18-25 years which can be extended later on.In USA, the initial price for the first year is around 2000-3000$ and subsequently$100 for the yearly storage and maintenance. Similarly in India, the initial process starts from Rs. 25,000 and goes up to almost a lakh for preserving for next several years.

Although, the cord blood banking price may initially seem very high to the expectant parents, but considering the overall benefits of this process it may seem like nothing if required for the treatment of a loved one. Most parents, who invest in this, see it as a long term insurance policy for the good health of their child and family members.The most important thing is to make an informed choice, as thoseoffering storage facilities at considerably lower prices may not have the state-of-the-art facilities provided by the ones which are charging more.

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Get to Know the future of Cord Blood Banking

Cord blood banking in India is still in its nascent stage. Given the high birth rate and high level of mortality amongst the new born in the country, the need to save and bank cord blood in India is even more imperative.Unfortunately, India does not have a public bank system where the cord blood can be preserved and used by anybody in need of stem cell treatment. But on the other hand, a lot of private cord blood banks have come up in the major cities of the country, which makes it easier for the expectant parents to store and preserve the cord blood for the future use by their children and family members.

Cord blood banking is the facility of storing and preserving stem cells or the cord blood derived from the umbilical cord of the baby. This process needs to done in the first few minutes after the baby is born before the blood starts clotting. Clotted cord blood cannot be utilised. This is a completely painless procedure which does not affect the mother or the child. The cord blood is extracted from the umbilical vein which is still connected to the placenta, which is why it is also known as placental blood. Once collected this blood is stored at cryogenic temperatures in order to maintain the properties of the blood as well as the stem cells.

You can gauge the importance of Cord blood when you know that it can be used in the treatment of over 80 major critical diseases. Some of them are Leukemia, Thalassemia, Lymphoma, blood disorders and other degenerative diseases. In other countries, cord blood banking is available for personal as well as public needs. But, cord blood banking in India is right now available only for personal use. The cost of private cord blood banking is very high and not affordable by the general public.

For the expectant parents, it is very important to choose the correct cord blood cell bank. The bank should be certified, have a good reputation, proper technical expertise and experience. The facility should preferably be in a place which is not prone to natural disasters and has a storage facility with proper power backup and constant monitoring situations that ensure that the facility is able to maintain a controlled environment at all times.Given the large demand among the young parents, many cord blood storage facilities have mushroomed over the years in India. But it’s important that the parents are aware that the storage facility fulfils all of the points discussed above. The initial time period for storage is 18-25 years, which can be extended later.

Stem cells are also called as ‘naive cells’ as they have this unique capacity to turn into any kind of cell in the body. Whether it is muscles, bone cell, tissues etc.It is important for the parents to remember that umbilical cords are usually disposed of after the birth so storage facilities should be made well in advance.

Friday 20 February 2015

Bengaluru: The new address for Cord Blood Banking

What is cord blood banking?

Cord blood banking is extracting and preserving the blood from the umbilical cord of a new born baby. This is a completely harmless procedure which does not affect the baby or the mother at all. As a part of this procedure, a needle is inserted into that part of the umbilical vein which is still connected to the placenta. After that the whole process of extraction takes about 10 minutes only. This procedure in no way inconveniences the mother or the child. The only requirement is that the cord blood should be collected as soon as the cord is cut because a delay of more than two minutes could mean clotting of the blood, which will make it completely useless as clotted cord blood is of no use and cannot be stored.

There are several options of cord blood banking in India. But Bengaluru has clearly taken the lead in this.There are several cord blood banks in Bengaluru. Some centres not only storecord blood but also the umbilical cord tissue. Researchers have been conducting studies to utilise the umbilical cord tissue as well to harvest stem cells.Bengaluru is fast becoming the key market for cord blood bankingin the country.

According to the data collected in a survey, because of the growing awareness among the parents, cord blood banking in Bengaluru is amongst the highest in the country. Over 10,000 parents in Bengaluru have taken the lead and preserved the stem cells of their children and the number is quickly rising. According to the happy parents, they have taken this decision to ensure a better and a healthier future for their children. The best part about preserving the cord blood of a new born is that it is not only helps the donor but also the siblings and other family members. Banking cord blood for your baby is on the rise; however you have the option to donate the same to someone who needs it for a cure.

India has a great potential for storing and preserving the cord blood due to the high birth rate, with an increasing number of babies suffering from diseases. Cord blood is a readily available and rich source of stem cells and can be used to treat life threatening diseases like Thalassemia, Leukemia, and Lymphoma etc.This cord blood can be preserved and stored for many years.

Cord blood banking in Bengaluruis way ahead of any other city or state in India. This can be attributed to the fact that a large number of parents are well educated and there is a high level of awareness among them on the subject of cord blood banking. With this knowledge, many expectant parents are opting for cord blood banking to ensure a healthier tomorrow for their children.