Pros and Cons of Cord Blood Storage

There are a number of biotech companies in the USA, Canada and around the world, that don't deal in research or drug development, but provide a public service to those who believe that stem cell therapy is the way of the future. If you have the money, and believe in stem cell research and regenerative medicine, you can bank the stem cells derived from the umbilical cord blood of your newborn children, by either donating to a public bank or paying for private storage. While regenerative medicine is still in its infancy as a biomedical technology, umbilical cord blood is already known as a valuable resource for treating various blood and genetic disorders, a fact that was probably brought more into the public eye with publication of the novel "My Sister's Keeper" and release of a movie of the same name this past year.

Many developed nations have both public and private cord blood banks. There is a fair amount of controversy over whether storing your baby's cord blood in a private bank is worth the cost. One of the arguments against is that if stem cell therapies become more commonplace in the future they will likely rely on easily accessible, stable cell lines that have undergone rigorous subculture and maintenance protocols, to be ready for use. Also, the genetic disposition for a certain cancer or blood disorder, is present at birth, therefore treatment by autologous use of the cord blood is unlikely. Public cord blood banks make healthy stem cells available to others who may need it. That said, new applications, such as combining nanoparticles and stem cells, are being discovered every day, and if regenerative medicine techniques, and therapeutic cloning, continue to develop and become more commonplace, autologous cord blood may become more useful within the lifespan of the next generation.