Cord blood banking

By: De Anna Sheffield

Tampa, Florida — She did it with her first two boys, and now with twins on the way, Angela Maskin says cord blood banking just makes sense.

Angela Maskin, South Tampa

“It's good peace of mind, if something were to happen, have something to fall back on. Kids are expensive to raise, and you'll spend money on all kinds of things that are not as important as their health. ”

Cord blood-banking is when the blood from the umbilical cord is stored for a fee in a bank, and the blood can be used to treat a variety of diseases, from leukemia to immune-deficiency disorders. Maskin has her blood stored at Cryo-Cell International in Oldsmar.

Jerry Maass, Executive V.P., Cryo-Cell International

“Parents have historically considered it…some use the term 'biological insurance'. And more and more we're discovering there are other applications, neurological, cardiac, diabetes, arthritis. With all this research, the uses (of cord blood) will increase. ”

Those in the industry acknowledge it is an elective procedure and not every parent has the finances to pay for the initial fee, which can start at $1500 plus a yearly storage fee. Soon, there will be a public national blood cord location, where parents who couldn't otherwise find a match, use the service, with insurance picking up the tab

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, if you have a family member who has a current or potential need to undergo a stem cell transplantation, the blood should be stored. The policy goes on to state that private storage of cord blood as 'biological insurance' is unwise. Dr. Betram Lubin, the President of Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute in California says the Academy is updating the policy and guidelines will be released to the public in the next three months.

Cryo-Cell is also launching a new stem cell service that involves the placenta. Next month, the company will host a live webcast of a cesarean birth, with explanation of the new procedure.