Stem cell innovation and research has come a long way over the past 15-years. Regenerative medicine is now one of the fastest growing areas of research as a result of these advances. Expecting parents are also finding that with these advances, comes more options for cord blood banking. Namely, the choice between one of several private banks and public banking.
Behind all the remarkable advances, there remain a number of myths holding people back from making the decision to bank their child’s cord blood.
Let’s take a closer look at a couple of the public cord blood banking myths.
Public Cord Blood Banking Myth: Donations to a Public Bank Can be Retrieved Later if Needed
This myth is a little tricky and requires an understanding of two things:
- How public banks retain donor information.
- How public banks use donated samples for research.
Donor Information:
All private banks, including Securacell retain customer information with clear tracking that associates a sample back to a specific individual. Many public banks do not have a mechanism in place to ensure donor tracking.
The specific concern you should have is that most public banks do not retain the personal identifying data of a sample donor.
Public Banking & Research
Public banks have regular interactions with medical researchers.
Congress passed the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005. This Act was re-authorized in 2010. It opened the door to permit public banks to donate large blocks of inventory to medical research.
Public banks are under-developed. A donated sample is likely to be matched and used for another patient or for medical research more than it is likely to be available for your own use.
Donating your baby’s cord blood has risks. You may need to go through the same matching process as any other person if you are in need of a transplant.
Public Cord Blood Banking Myth 2: I can Find a Match at a Public Bank if Required
Matching for a public cord blood bank is much more complex than simply comparing blood types. A series of sophisticated attributes are considered. Next, those attributes evaluate important factors such as ethnicity, genetic markers, HLA match, and other hereditary features.
Parents of minority or mixed ethnic backgrounds may find it difficult to find a quality match in a public bank.
Your ethnic background and unseen genetic markers may drive a much higher need to bank with a private storage company.
Time to Make a Decision
There are many factors to consider if you’re looking at private versus public banking. And for many people, private banking is simply the only way to go. Securacell is here to help if you want to speak with one of our healthcare professionals. Finally, we can help further explain the benefits of cord blood banking.
