How much cord blood should be collected?
The amount of cord blood drawn is normally about 80-90ml, but varies from 30-150ml. Regardless, what matters most is the number of stem cells present in the cord blood. The average number of stem cells collected are usually within the range of 400-900 million nucleated cells.

What happens if the number of cord blood stem cells collected is insufficient / less than the meaningful volume?
Should the number of nucleated cells be less than the standard of 200 million cells, u will be informed and inquired of your decision whether to continue storing cord blood.

Why should I store my baby's cord blood stem cells?

1. It offers you the advantage to potentially treat various life threatening diseases.
2. Less risk of transplant rejection - Graft vs Host disease (a common complication in bone marrow transplantation).
3. Immediate availability for baby.
4. It is a bio-insurance for the family.
5. It can be of potential use in treating siblings, parents and close relatives.

More reasons for private cord blood storage :

• If you or your family has a family history of cancer or genetic diseases.
• If you are of ethnic minorities or mixed ethnicity.
  

How are stem cells preserved?
They are stored frozen in extremely cold high-tech containers which are operated at -196 degrees celsius.

Who could use your baby's cord blood stem cells?

1. Your Baby - 100%
2. Your Baby biological siblings - Higher Chance
3. Your Baby biological parents - Moderate Chance
4. Close relatives - Low Chance

Cord Blood stem cells

What are cord blood stem cells?

Cord blood is blood collected from the umbilical cord and placenta after the birth of the baby.
In the past cord blood is normally discarded with the placenta and umbilical cord. Cord blood is rich in stem cells (hematopoietic and pluripotent), the cells of the body with the ability to develop into various cell types in the body (e.g blood cells, immune system's cells, heart cells, nerve cells, bones, and muscle cells).

How are cord blood stem cells used?

Cord blood stem cells have been used to treat various diseases. One of the examples is their use to replace damaged or abnormal blood cells in the treatment of blood disorders, an alternative to bone marrow transplantation.