ViaCord Blog

2019 World Cord Blood Day

From the moment you discover you’re pregnant, you know you have a lot to prepare for. Even if it’s not your first rodeo, there’s always something new to learn, especially when it comes to your baby’s health. Educating yourself on how to protect your baby’s future health is just another part of the process, and there’s one valuable resource that lives right inside of your baby’s umbilical cord that can help.

A resource for their future health

Cord blood, which is the blood inside your baby’s umbilical cord has powerful stem cells that help your baby develop organs, blood, tissue, and an immune system during pregnancy. After your baby is born, the blood and stem cells can be collected and saved for potential use in future treatments.   

Having this valuable resource at your fingertips is something that a lot of parents-to-be might not know about until now. That’s why November 15^th is World Cord Blood Day. It aims to bring awareness to how important storing your baby’s cord blood can be if you ever need it. In celebration of World Cord Blood Day, we’re offering $175 off Cord Blood and Cord Tissue banking. Use Code: WEBNOV175 to enroll online or call 866-668-4895.

What can cord blood stem cells do?

Cord blood stem cells have the unique ability to help rebuild a healthy immune system damaged by disease. Cord blood has been used in transplant medicine for over 30 years and can be used in the treatment of nearly 80 different diseases today.* Over the last few years, cord blood use has expanded beyond transplant medicine into clinical research trials for conditions like autism and brain injuries making this an exciting and perfect time to bank your baby’s cord blood for your family’s potential future use.

Celebrating Cord Blood

In celebration of World Cord Blood Day, let’s take a look back at some important milestones*:

Families Using Cord Blood

Over 450 ViaCord families have used their banked cord blood in transplant medicine or clinical research. As research around this fascinating science continues to grow, more and more families are choosing to bank their baby’s stem cells.

Hear from two ViaCord families who used their stem cells in clinical trials for Autism and Cerebral Palsy:

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References:

Waller-Wise, R. (2011). Umbilical cord blood: information for childbirth educators. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3209739/

About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://nybloodcenter.org/about-us/nybc-overview/pablo-rubinstein-md/

Kurtzberg, Joanne. “A History of Cord Blood Banking and Transplantation.” Stem Cells Translational Medicine, John Wiley and Sons Inc., May 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5442723/.

Laughlin, Mary J., et al. “Hematopoietic Engraftment and Survival in Adult Recipients of Umbilical-Cord Blood from Unrelated Donors: NEJM.” New England Journal of Medicine, 14 June 2001, https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM200106143442402

Cairo, M S, and J E Wagner. “Placental and/or Umbilical Cord Blood: an Alternative Source of Hematopoietic Stem Cells for Transplantation.” Blood, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 15 Dec. 1997, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9389681?dopt=Abstract

Hughes. “Cord Blood Transplantation: Hallmarks of the 20th Century.” OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 1 Dec. 2000, https://academic.oup.com/labmed/article/31/12/672/2504179

“Meet Jesse.” Insception Lifebank, https://www.insception.com/family-stories/meet-jesse/

Couto, Pedro S, et al. “The First Decade of Advanced Cell Therapy Clinical Trials Using Perinatal Cells (2005–2015).” The First Decade of Advanced Cell Therapy Clinical Trials Using Perinatal Cells (2005–2015) | Regenerative Medicine, 15 Nov. 2017, https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/full/10.2217/rme-2017-0066

Harris, David T. “Cord Blood Stem Cells: a Review of Potential Neurological Applications.” Stem Cell Reviews, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2008, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18679834

Rocha, Vanderson, and Eliane Gluckman. “Improving Outcomes of Cord Blood Transplantation: HLA Matching, Cell Dose and Other Graft‐ and Transplantation‐Related Factors.” Wiley Online Library, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (10.1111), 1 Oct. 2009, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2141.2009.07883.x?_sm_au_=iVVFDW7bMLjwk60FN4s4kKHFLKVG2

“Autologous Cord Blood Stem Cells for Autism – Full Text View.” Full Text View – ClinicalTrials.gov, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01638819

Ballen, Karen K, et al. “Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation: the First 25 Years and Beyond.” Blood, American Society of Hematology, 25 July 2013, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3952633/

Dawson, Geraldine, et al. “Autologous Cord Blood Infusions Are Safe and Feasible in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Results of a Single‐Center Phase I Open‐Label Trial.” Stem Cells Journals (AlphaMed Press), John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 5 Apr. 2017, https://stemcellsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sctm.16-0474

“Assessment of the Safety of Allogeneic Umbilical Cord Blood Infusions in Children With Cerebral Palsy – Full Text View.” Full Text View – ClinicalTrials.gov, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02599207

Moise K Jr. Umbilical cord stem cells. Obstet Gynecol. 2005;106(6):1393-1407

Facebook.com/bioinformantworldwide. “When Did Banking Cord Blood Start?: Brief History.” BioInformant, 11 Oct. 2018, https://bioinformant.com/cord-blood-banking-start/

“Leadership.” Cleveland Cord Blood, https://www.clevelandcordblood.org/about/leadership/

Carpenter, Kimberly L. H., et al. “White Matter Tract Changes Associated with Clinical Improvement in an Open‐Label Trial Assessing Autologous Umbilical Cord Blood for Treatment of Young Children with Autism.” Stem Cells Journals (AlphaMed Press), John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 8 Jan. 2019, https://stemcellsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sctm.18-0251

Murias, Michael, et al. “Electrophysiological Biomarkers Predict Clinical Improvement in an Open‐Label Trial Assessing Efficacy of Autologous Umbilical Cord Blood for Treatment of Autism.” Stem Cells Journals (AlphaMed Press), John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 1 Aug. 2018, https://stemcellsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sctm.18-0090

“Stem Cell Therapy Furthers Research for Infants with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 23 July 2019, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190723110525.htm.

For more details and references please visit www.viacord.com/references.