Benefits of Cord Blood
Access to an invaluable medical resource
Since the cells in cord blood haven't been exposed to potentially harmful factors impacting stem cells collected later in life, saving the pristine cells moments after your baby is born could prove to be an invaluable medical resource for your family in the future.
What Is Cord Blood Used For Today?
Proven Uses for Cord Blood
Cord blood has been saving and changing lives in transplant medicine for 30 years. Today it can be used in the treatment of nearly 80 serious diseases including:
Cancers
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia| Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma|Neuroblastoma
Blood Disorders
Sickle-cell anemia|Cooley's anemia|β-thalassemia intermedia
Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes
Fanconi anemia|Diamond-Blackfan anemia|Juvenile dermatomyositis
Metabolic Disorders
Hurler syndrome|Tay-Sachs Disease|Krabbe disease
Immune Disorders
Severe combined immunodeficiency|DiGeorge syndrome|Reticular dysplasia
View the full list proven cord blood uses →
Cord Blood Clinical Trials
Cord blood use has been used in regenerative medicine clinical trials for conditions once thought untreatable, such as:
Clinical Trials
Autism|Cerebral Palsy|Type 1 diabetes
Learn more about cord blood and regenerative medicine research →
Get More From Your Baby's Cord Blood
The benefits cord blood go beyond providing valuable stem cells. Cord blood can also provide valuable insights into your child's health. Only ViaCord offers families options to take advantage of this unique opportunity by using a small sample of cord blood - no additional collection required, and no impact on the quantity or quality of stem cells banked for your family. Explore our services and see how you can get more from your baby's cord blood banking.
Newborn DNA Guardian
Preserves a sample of pristine newborn DNA from cord blood for your family’s potential future testing needs.
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Newborn Digestive Health
Provides genetic insights into a child’s predisposition for both celiac disease and primary lactose intolerance.
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Genetic Insights Panel
Uses a small sample of cord blood and identifies actionable, childhood onset conditions through the analysis of over 270 genes.
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Whole Genome Sequencing
Sequences all 22,000 genes in the genome and analyzes the 2,500 genes that have known associations with childhood-onset conditions.
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Cord Blood Success Stories
Over 500 ViaCord customers have used their banked cord blood. Meet some of the families below. Gracie used her own cord blood in a Phase I Clinical Research Trial at Duke University for autism, and Tami Byrd, mom of four used the cord blood from one son in the treatment of another son's cancer.
Watch more stories of families that have used their cord blood
In The News: Cerebral Palsy and Cord Blood
Want to See More Cord Blood Videos?
Our video page covers it all - from cord blood basics, to cord blood in the news, plus families share their experiences using their banked cord blood and see how ViaCord stores stem cells in an innovative multi-compartment bag - and more!
Go to Cord Blood 101 Videos
FAQs
Cord blood can be used to treat over 75 diseases including blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma and disorders of the blood and immune system—such as sickle cell disease and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.
What are the benefits of cord blood? ›
The benefits of cord blood
Cord blood is an important alternative to bone marrow for transplantation because it contains all the natural elements of blood and is rich in blood-forming stem cells, which are similar to those found in bone marrow but do not require as close a match between the donor and recipient.
Is it worth collecting cord blood? ›
Doctors do not recommend that you bank cord blood on the slight chance that your baby will need stem cells someday. If your baby were to need stem cells, he or she would probably need stem cells from someone else rather than his or her own stem cells.
Can parents benefit from cord blood? ›
In a haploidentical transplant, the donor and patient only need to have a 50% match as long as they are immediate relatives. This expands the use of cord blood to mom and dad and other partially matching immediate family members.
What diseases does cord blood help? ›
Cord blood is rich in blood-forming cells that can be used in transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and many other life-threatening diseases. It can be especially useful for transplant patients from ethnically diverse backgrounds who often have difficulty finding a transplant match.
Can cord blood save lives? ›
Umbilical cord blood is a very good source of stem cells. The blood can be collected after delivery with no risk to the baby or mother. These blood stem cells (BSC) are proven to be useful in the treatment of many blood disorders and cancers.
What can you use your own cord blood for? ›
Cord blood contains stem cells. These are cells that can grow into specific kinds of cells in your body. Stem cells may be used to treat some diseases, like some forms of cancer and anemia. Anemia is when you don't have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to the rest of your body.
Does cord blood expire? ›
Myth: Stored cord blood has a limited “shelf-life.” Fact: Theoretically, properly frozen and stored cord blood may remain useful for a lifetime. This isn't known for certain, however, because cord blood banking has existed for fewer than 30 years.
What do hospitals do with placenta? ›
Hospitals treat placentas as medical waste or biohazard material. The newborn placenta is placed in a biohazard bag for storage. Some hospitals keep the placenta for a period of time in case the need arises to send it to pathology for further analysis.
Can cord blood help brain damage? ›
When patients with brain damage received cord blood therapy, the new cells made their way to damaged areas, improving motor functions and cognitive reasoning. In the future, medical experts estimate severe brain trauma, which has few treatment options, will be fully curable with cord blood stem cells.
After your baby is born, the umbilical cord and placenta are usually thrown away. Because you are choosing to donate, the blood left in the umbilical cord and placenta will be collected and tested. Cord blood that meets standards for transplant will be stored at the public cord blood bank until needed by a patient.
Can cord blood help arthritis? ›
Mesenchymal stem cells derived from the umbilical cord offer multiple advantages in osteoarthritis cartilage repair over other sources of mesenchymal stem cells.
Why is umbilical cord blood so valuable? ›
How does umbilical cord blood help save lives? Umbilical cord blood contains blood-forming stem cells, which can renew themselves and differentiate into other types of cells. Stem cells are used in transplants for patients with cancers like leukemia and lymphoma.
Should I donate my baby cord blood? ›
Should I store my baby's umbilical cord blood for my family or donate it for public use? Donating cord blood for public use or storing it for your family's private use is a personal decision. Typically the umbilical cord and placenta are discarded after your baby is born—unless you decide otherwise.
What do hospitals do with placenta and umbilical cord? ›
Usually, the umbilical cord and placenta are discarded after birth. If a mother chooses to have her cord blood collected, the health care team will do so after the baby is born. With a sterile needle, they'll draw the blood from the umbilical vessels into a collection bag.
Why do hospitals take cord blood? ›
Newborn umbilical cord blood contains stem cells that may be used to treat people with certain blood-related disorders. These include some types of cancer, immune system disorders, and genetic diseases. Newborn cord blood can be collected from the umbilical cord shortly after birth.
