A lot of factors will affect your choice – from the costs to the potential benefits and likely uses. Hopefully, this breakdown will make your decision a little easier.<\/p>\n
There is no cost attached to public cord blood banking; it is a donation.<\/p>\n
Instead, public banks cover their costs by charging between \u00a320,000 and \u00a340,000 for the release of a donated unit for therapy.<\/p>\n
The cost of private banking varies according to the method and system used.<\/p>\n
Cells4Life offers several different pricing plans<\/a>, which start from \u00a31495.<\/p>\n Most private banks charge an annual storage fee. These costs ensure that there is an on-going revenue stream to cover storage in perpetuity that is not dependent on the bank generating new business in the future.<\/p>\n There is usually no charge to release a sample for treatment. At the moment, only a few hospitals in the UK can accept donations. Samples go to either the NHS Cord Blood Bank or the Anthony Nolan Stem Cell Register and are then added to several worldwide databases. Cells4Life offers private collection services at almost every maternity unit<\/a> in the UK, including private maternity hospitals. We also offer collection in most parts of the world.<\/p>\n Donors transfer ownership when they donate their child\u2019s umbilical cord to a public bank. This means that they no longer have control over how their sample is used. Instead, the bank is free to send the sample anywhere in the world, where it could be used to treat or even cure a matched patient.<\/p>\n It is possible that the sample would still be available in the public bank if the donor or family member needed to use it. However, this is unlikely as most units do not meet the public banking threshold and are either used for research or disposed of entirely.<\/p>\n Umbilical cord blood and tissue belong exclusively to the child. As parents, you have authority over its use until your baby is capable of making a decision for themselves.<\/p>\n Public donation is motivated by a desire to help others. At the moment, public banks do not have enough samples to treat everyone in need of a transplant so donation could make all the difference.<\/p>\n In the UK, 65,000 litres of cord blood are discarded as waste per year. If just 50,000 more litres were saved and donated to a public bank, up to 200 more lives could be saved every year.<\/p>\n The motivations behind privately banking cord blood vary from parent to parent\u2026<\/p>\n There are generally two main uses for privately banked samples:<\/p>\n
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]\nWhere can I use these services?<\/h2>\n
Public<\/h3>\n
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]NHS Cord Blood Bank (6)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Private<\/h3>\n
Who owns a cord blood sample?<\/h2>\n
Public<\/h3>\n
Private<\/h3>\n
Why do people store their cord blood samples?<\/h2>\n
Public<\/h3>\n
Private<\/h3>\n
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How are cord blood samples used?<\/h2>\n
Public<\/h3>\n
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Private<\/h3>\n
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\nFor example, umbilical cord blood is now being routinely used at Duke University, North Carolina to treat brain conditions like cerebral palsy, stroke and autism<\/a>. As regenerative medicine continuous to develop, it is anticipated that 1 in 3 people will benefit from one of these therapies in their lifetime.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nFACT: In the UK, 1 in 500 people suffer from cerebral palsy.
\n1 in 100 suffer from autism.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\nWho uses cord blood samples?<\/h2>\n
Public<\/h3>\n
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