Step 6 – Using the stem cells
We’ve reached step 6 – the one we all hope your family will never need to use. However, stem cells can help some very ill people, so let’s find out what could happen to those carefully stored units.
From our public bank:
If you, a member of your family or anyone else could benefit from a donated (allogeneic) cord blood stem cell transplant, the following will happen:
- Your consultant searches for a suitable stem cell match through a stem cell transplantation global registry. If the global registry finds a cord blood unit in our public bank that provides a suitable match, we’ll be contacted.
- We’ll then manage all the paperwork, remove the matched unit from our public bank and transport it to the hospital where the transplantation will be performed.
- Each time a unit from our public bank is matched to a person in need we’ll inform the parents who donated it and thank them. Even though we won’t know whose life may have been saved or improved by an allogeneic transplant, we want you to know that donating was worthwhile and may have helped somebody in need.
From our private bank:
As we’ve already said, the likelihood of young children needing to use their own stem cells is really very small. Having said that, we believe that the use of our own cord blood stem cells in adulthood has the potential to be beneficial because:
- The causes of adult blood disorders are different to childhood blood disorders and adults may therefore be treated with their own stem cells. The trouble is that, because cord blood stem cell banking is fairly recent, most adults don’t have their own stem cells stored.
- Having access as an adult to your own cord blood stem cells – cells which are healthy and versatile – could help treat adult blood disorders.
- By storing these cells now, your child may be able to benefit from the future possibilities of regenerative medicine treatments.
If you ever do require your privately banked unit for transplantation all you need to do is to contact us and we’ll liaise with you and your doctor to make all the necessary arrangements.
Your questions answered >
Apply now >