Experience with Stem Cell Storage?

Russel245

A pregnant friend and I were talking about the practice of stem cell collection the other day over coffee - something I had NEVER heard of.

There is apparently family history of leukaemia (father and late cousin both died of it) and this practice promises to be a possible sure. She registered for a pack to be sent (here - http://www.cells4life.co.uk/request-a-welcome-pack)

Until the pack arrives, does anyone else know of the service? What it involves? Pro's and con's?

Many thanks...

Russ
x

Kitten_Pie

Can't really add much but I have the information pack. It was something that if we could afford we would do however it would cost all our savings plus more.

If we had a crystal ball and knew something would go wrong we would spend every penny we have on it however we don't know and couldn't justify the cost.

We also don't have any family history of illnesses which would sway our decision.

Student_Mrs

Is it to do with the cord blood donation? I'm pregnant and registered for an information pack as would happily donate my baby's no longer needed umbilical cord like the NHS have asked for https://secure.nhscordblood.co.uk/donate.asp

being based in Cardiff, not North London though, it seems I am no good! Having read my sister's keeper, 'designer babies' can be scary and if I had no family risk and not a lot of money, I don't think I'd pay for it. It's interesting to see how versatile it is though, and I think donation should become a nationwide option.

Good luck to your friend

Kitten_Pie

It is similar student_mrs but you put it in storage for your childs future use which costs money for the collection and storage. Rather than donating it for others who may need it.

SqueekyMouse

ETA

Russel245 wrote: »

A pregnant friend and I were talking about the practice of stem cell collection the other day over coffee - something I had NEVER heard of.

There is apparently family history of leukaemia (father and late cousin both died of it) and this practice promises to be a possible sure. She registered for a pack to be sent (here - http://www.cells4life.co.uk/request-a-welcome-pack)

Until the pack arrives, does anyone else know of the service? What it involves? Pro's and con's?

Many thanks...

Russ
x

I don't know anything about this particular service, However I wanted to donate cord blood with the Anthony Nolan foundation - in the end it didn't happen because they only collect during office hours and my baby was born at 2am!

Having worked in a lab which handled frozen human cells (collected from patients/donors then were frozen for an amount of time and subsequently defrosted and analysed) I would have some questions about their procedures if I were going to pay for this service. Freezing and thawing cells can effect their viability, physiology and their morphology. Simply put a proportion of the stem cells won't survive. I would want to make sure the cells were harvested from the cord promptly and snap frozen. I would be interested in the toxicity of the media in which the frozen cells were stored. I would want to make sure they were stored in liquid nitrogen and not just a -80 freezer. Furthermore I would ask questions about how the viability of the cells reduces with the duration of storage. I've found that after 10 years for example, cells are a lot less happy than after 6 months.

I'm not saying don't do it, I'm just saying that if it's a lot of money it's best to go into it with your eyes open. The idea of treating an individual's illnesses from their own cord blood is relatively new. Having paid all that money for harvesting and storage, how would you feel if the cells were not viable years down the line if your child should need treatment?

One more point to bear in mind - If you wanted to harvest cord blood, you would not be able to have a physiological 3rd stage. ie you could not leave the cord to stop pulsating before it was cut. In order to harvest the healthiest possible cells the cord would have to be clamped and cut immediately, so that it can be whizzed off to the scientist folk.


ETA: I'd also want to know what would happen to the cells if the company storing them went bust!

StaffieTerrier

I echo SqueekyMouse's thoughts.

I'd also question how useful it would actually be for illnesses with a genetic component. The faulty genes will still be in those cells and may behave in a similar manner to the person's cells currently in the body.

Science is developing at a rapid rate and scientists are currently able to extract cells from the human body and induce them to become stem cells. It's far from a perfect technology and not used for treatment (mainly research), but the day will come when this is a routine treatment. You could be spending lots of money now that may be a waste in 20 years time, because the cells you paid to be collected are not viable and science has new treatments far more advanced than stem cells collected from cord blood.

Russel245

I got the pack on Friday and spent the weekend reading over the details and information.

I'm certainly going to be looking at phase 2.

R.

fishybusiness

I'd also question how useful it would actually be for illnesses with a genetic component

Stem cells can be collected from a person, then frozen and used after chemotherapy treatment. Seems bizarre but it is a standard procedure for some diseases such as multiple myeloma or leukaemia.

Theory is that when a persons disease progresses to a stage of damaging health, chemotherapy can halt the disease, and at the same time good blood cells and stem cells are killed. Transplant of previously saved cells creates new blood cells, and good health often returns for a length of time, maybe years.

Hope that helps

SqueekyMouse

I just read this and I thought of you

It's written by a midwife who used to collect cord blood and mentions the benefits of waiting to cut the umbilical cord until after it has stopped pulsating and how this is not possible when you want to collect cord blood.

skintchick

SqueekyMouse wrote: »

I just read this and I thought of you

It's written by a midwife who used to collect cord blood and mentions the benefits of waiting to cut the umbilical cord until after it has stopped pulsating and how this is not possible when you want to collect cord blood.

I was going to raise this issue. I believe the blood belongs to the baby and is important for the baby to have. There are no guarantees cord blood can be used to effect latr in life, only a hope, so I cannot see why you would deprive a newborn of it on e off chance that it might be able to do someone beneficial later. Better for it to be beneficial at the time of birth, as nature intended.

Those good things in cord blood are meant to go into the baby' not be stolen for other purposes.

skintchick

Incant edit on the iPad so have to post again.

I also meant to say that as pointed out in that article it is not spare blood as implied by the term cord blood, it is blood that belongs to the baby and has been circulatig around the baby and placenta which opate as one unit in the womb.

By taking it you really are taking blood from the baby itself. Who would want to do that?!