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Expectant Parents Can Now Bank Baby's
Umbilical Cord Blood at The Toronto Hospital
New Program Offers Biological Insurance for the Child and Family
(Toronto, December 18, 1996) Parents expecting children have a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to bank the blood of their child's umbilical cord with a new
program at The Toronto Hospital.
The Toronto Cord Blood Program at The Toronto Hospital enables parents to
store the blood collected from the umbilical cord of their newborns for
future use, if needed. The blood contains a high concentration of stem cells
which produce all the components of blood: oxygen-carrying red cells, infection-fighting
white cells and platelets to help the blood clot. Stem cells are used for
bone marrow transplantation to treat life-threatening diseases such as leukemia,
malignant lymphoma or neuroblastoma.
"This program takes advantage of a unique window of opportunity for
parents to save their child's stem cells," says Dr. Barbara Cruickshank,
Medical Director of the Toronto Cord Blood Program at The Toronto Hospital
and Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University
of Toronto. "Most children grow up without facing any serious health
problems. However, for the few who will develop cancer, this program may
offer a potentially life-saving option," Dr. Cruickshank adds.
"After hearing about the benefits I decided to register with the program,"
says Jayne Gilbert, who banked the cord blood of her youngest son Geoffrey
six months ago. "It would be useful to have my son's stem cells stored
in the event he may need it or any other member of the family would need
it. I see this as insurance."
Storing cord blood offers biological insurance to the child and family.
The benefits include:
no risk to mother or baby during collection
immediate availability of exact matching stem cells for the child
a potential match for other family members- the chance of matching
these cord blood stem cells to a family member is considerably higher than
those from non-related bone marrow match
increased safety: treatments with cord blood have resulted in a significantly
lower incidence of life-threatening complications that occur in a large
percentage of bone marrow transplantations
new treatments: in the future, cord blood stem cells may be used
in certain gene therapy procedures.
"The science surrounding stem cell transplantation and gene therapy
is an emerging field which offers many exciting possibilities for the development
of new treatments," says Dr. Robert Casper, Head, Reproductive Sciences
at The Toronto Hospital and a University of Toronto Professor in the Department
of Obstretrics and Gynecology. "Gene therapy using cord blood stem
cells may, in the future, be useful in the treatment of HIV infection, sickle
cell disease, thalasemia, or other forms of anemia, and possibly other genetic
diseases."
The Cord Blood Program at The Toronto Hospital is a nonprofit venture and
operates on a cost recovery basis. Fees to parents include a one-time cost
of registration, a one-time cost of processing the cord blood and annual
storage fees. The fees are used to cover the costs of personnel, supplies,
equipment, storage facilities and research and development. There is no
fee to expectant mothers who have a medical need for the program.
Currently the labour and delivery floors of The Toronto Hospital, Mount
Sinai Hospital and Women's College are involved in the program. Before participating
in the program, parents undergo extensive counselling by staff affiliated
with the Toronto Cord Blood Program. Parents interested in registering for
the program may call (416) 340-3323.
For more information, contact Josey
Panetta, Senior Media Relations Officer, The Toronto Hospital, 416-340-3303
FACT SHEET
Toronto Cord Blood Program at The Toronto Hospital
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are the production units in the human body which produce all
other blood cells: red cells that carry oxygen, white cells that fight disease,
and platelets that help blood clot. Stem cells reproduce themselves and
are currently obtained from bone marrow.
In recent years, researchers have found a second way to obtain these valuable
stem cells by extracting them from the umbilical cord after the child is
born. Blood from the umbilical cord is rich in stem cells. These stem cells
have not yet built up antibodies making them more compatible with a greater
number of people in terms of matching with the recipient.
What are they used for?
Stem cells are used for bone marrow transplantations to treat life-threatening
diseases such as leukemia and malignant lymphoma and genetic-immune disorders.
How are stem cells collected from the umbilical cord?
Immediately after birth, the umbilical cord is separated from the baby.
A physician uses a syringe to draw blood from the portion of the cord that
remains with the placenta. The blood is transferred to a blood transfer
pack and eventually transported to the storage facility. There is no pain
or risk to the baby or the mother.
How are stem cells normally collected?
Currently, stem cells needed for medical treatments are collected from bone
marrow samples surgically removed from matched donors. Finding a suitable
match can be very difficult and expensive. Furthermore, the concentration
of stem cells in the bone marrow collected from the donor is not very high
and can result in a condition called graft vs. host reaction in the recipient
which can cause serious illness.
How are they stored?
In the lab, the cord blood is transferred into tubes filled with a liquid
gradient. These tubes are then spun in a centrifuge for 30 minutes. The
centrifuging results in the separation of blood into its components; the
technicians then extract the plasma and unwanted blood products and extract
the stem cells. The stem cells are then stored in a vat of liquid nitrogen
until needed.
How long can stem cells be stored?
The current literature shows that stem cells can be safely stored for 10
years. This may change as the science surrounding stem cell technology and
storage evolves.
Can the stored stem cells be used by any other member of my family?
Yes. Many newborns will never need the use of their stored cells. The banked
stem cells may easily be a potential match for other family members.
Cord Blood versus Bone Marrow Donations
Retrieval of cord blood is non-invasive and painless to both the mother
and child. Bone marrow retrieval is invasive and can be very painful. Cord
blood is much easier to match to the recipient because it is more readily
available and a less perfect match is acceptable because cord blood is more
pure in terms of antibody buildup. A suitable bone marrow match may be difficult
and the process is expensive.
One of the most common and life-threatening side effects of a bone marrow
transplant is graft vs. host disease. This is the result of lymphocytes
present in the grafts attacking the recipient. It is estimated that serious
graft vs. host disease occurs in 30-50 per cent of all unrelated bone marrow
transplants, reducing the survival rate of patients. Severe graft vs. host
disease is much less common with cord blood stem cell transplants even in
the absence of a perfect match.
What are the fees?
The Cord Blood Program at The Toronto Hospital is a non-profit program and
operates on a cost recovery basis. The fees are used to cover expenses such
as personnel, supplies, equipment, storage facilities, research and development.
No fees are charged if there is a medical need to participate in the program.
The fees are:
Registration fee: $50
Processing and Storage Fee
(includes first year of storage) $550
Annual storage fee $100
Parents interested in registering for the program may call (416) 340-3323