Agencies
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Written By: Agencies | Published : October 8, 2013 2:57 PM IST
Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has lent her name to the cause of stem cell preservation by Life Cell, a biotechnology company.
The whole process of banking a baby's stem cell has been made a lot cheaper by the company and Aishwarya urges family and friends to gift it to expecting parents.
'Families and friends can come together to make this gift possible in a parent's life. We traditionally buy so many things for expecting parents,' the 39-year-old said in Mumbai at the launch of the initiative on Monday.
'So family and friends can come together to pursue this possibility in expectant parents lives and make that the perfect gift for the child coming into this life,' she added.
Aishwarya revealed that even she and husband Abhishek opted for stem cell banking when their daughter Aaradhya was born.
'I had always banked that thought even before I got married. At that point of time we were contacted by a lot of companies and closer to the date we interacted extensively with Life Cell. Once we were convinced we went ahead with the decision to bank with Life Cell,' Aishwarya said.
Aishwarya urges expecting parents to look at it as a sensible investment.
'To those who can afford it, we really look at a lot of expenses. A lot of indulgences are so easily spent upon that somehow this thereby seems like a sensible investment,' Aishwarya said.
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.
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?)
With inputs from IANS
Disclaimer: The content on TheHealthSite.com is only for informational purposes. It is not at all professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a healthcare specialist for any questions regarding your health or a medical condition.