Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has thrown her weight behind umbilical cord banking saying that it was a no brainer. She said: 'It's a simple but very precious gift we can give to our children. Medical progress is growing and will continue to grow. We already know how helpful stem cells extracted from cord blood can be; so it was very natural and easy for us to make that choice.'
At the press meat to launch a public stem cell banking by LifeCell, Aishwarya lauded the initiative and said it would've a huge social impact.
Under this initiative, said Mayur Abhaya, CEO and managing director of LifeCell said: 'A public cord blood inventory will be created and when needed, patients and their families can find a match in it, and the stem cells can be used.While the collection and storage will be free, the company plans to sell the stem cells to patients who need it.'
The initial plans are to partner with at least 100 hospitals across the country to ensure donation.
Why should I preserve my baby's cord blood?
In the 1970s researchers discovered that umbilical cord blood contains hemopoetic (blood forming) stem cells. Blood forming stem cells are those cells that are capable of developing into three types of mature blood cells red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Cord blood stem cells are also known for their potential to give rise to other types of cells in the body. Since they are obtained from the baby's own blood and cells, the chances of rejection during medical treatment are very low.Cord blood bankingis also a one-time opportunity to help your own family, this is because transplant patients have a better chance of recovery if they receive their own stem cells or those of close family instead of someone unrelated. There are now emerging therapies in which your child could use his/her own cord blood stem cells to help the body repair itself. In the future, children whose parents saved their cord blood will have better access to futuristic treatments.
What stem cell banking options do I have in India?
Cord blood banking was an alien concept in India until a few years back. The concept of retaining the child's umbilical cord is a custom in a number of Indian cultures, but preserving the placental as well as cord blood for future use has just picked up in popularity. According to a leading news paper the facility of cord blood banking has been in India for the past 25 years, but with only about 3 public and 7 private cord blood banks in the country there is a huge shortage of resources to meet the rising demands for this facility.
There are two types of banking facilities for storing the cord blood cells of your baby; public donor banks and the private banks. In public donor banks, you can donate your baby's cord blood to a central facility for use by anybody who needs it. A Private cord blood banking centre will allow you to use your baby's cord blood either by your child, by his/her siblings or a family member. Some Private Indian cord blood banks are Lifecell International, Cryobanks India, Cordlife India. Jeevan Cord Blood Bank is a public cord blood bank. (Read more: Cord blood banking: The future of medical treatment?)
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