Why Bank Cord Lining - Benefits of Umbilical Cord Blood Banking

Complete health protection for your child and family

By storing cord blood and cord lining stem cells, you are preserving unique biological resources that are equivalent to a ‘self-repair kit’ for your child and possibly, other family members. Here are 8 top reasons why you should consider cord lining banking for your baby:

1. Cord lining stem cells have immune-modulating characteristics. Therefore matching of stem cells between donor and the patient may not be required, which makes them useful both for your baby and other members in the family;
2. With cord lining stem cells, your baby and family members will have more treatment options in the future, especially for disorders* that are incurable today such as stroke and heart attack;
3. Cord lining stem cells can help to increase the success rate of a cord blood transplant;
4. Cord lining contains two types of powerful stem cells as opposed to one type from Wharton’s Jelly, another part of the umbilical cord;
5. When you store cord lining for your baby and family, you are storing the original source of stem cells, which can be used to support multiple medical treatments whenever needed;
6. Compared to other sources such as bone marrow and adipose tissue , stem cells from cord lining are younger with better expansion capacity and patients receiving such stem cells have lower risk of graft versus host disease;
7. Using cryogenic storage method, cord lining can remain viable for a long time. This means that the therapeutic value of cord lining stem cells are well-preserved until the need for treatment arises;
8. Your baby only has one chance in a lifetime to have his/her cord lining collected as this painless and harmless process must be done at birth.

Different stem cells for different users

Cord blood mainly contains haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) which are powerful stem cells that can be used to regenerate healthy blood and immune systems. These cells have been successfully used to treat many life-threatening diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma and certain other cancers as well as blood disorders.

Powerful stem cells from cord lining

Cord lining contains unique and powerful stem cells including MSCs and EpSCs that may repair and heal the body in different ways than cord blood. These stem cells have demonstrated immense capability in aiding the repair of injured tissues and organs as well as the treatment of various diseases. MSCs are building blocks of structural tissues of our body such as bone, cartilage and muscle. Cells derived from EpSCs form many parts of our body including skin, hair, cornea, sweat glands as well as other secretor cells, sensing cells and cells that cover vital parts of our body such as liver. The unique ability of MSCs and EpSCs to differentiate into various cell types, makes them promising for cellular therapies and regenerative medicine.

Potential therapy with cord lining stem cells

MSCs and EpSCs are currently being evaluated in more than 300 clinical trials for the treatment of medical conditions including heart disease, stroke, spinal cord injury, cornea repair as well as wound healing such as burns and diabetic ulcers. The table outlines some of the potential applications with MSCs and EpSCs. As clinical research continues to take place globally, this list will continue to grow with time.

Sources:

1. World Health Organisation (Online), last accessed 1 August 2011
2. Shukla, et. al. 2010. Emerging Trends in Diabetic Foot Ulcer Management in India, The Int’l Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, 9(3) 111-2