With every passing day, the science behind the utility of umbilical cord blood is going a step forward. It is increasingly being used for curing leukemia patients. Umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells. As the name suggests, it is extracted from the umbilical cord and the placenta immediately after delivery. Stems cells are very important. They have the capability of creating entirely new blood and organs too. The cord blood stem cells have created your baby and by preserving those stem cells, you are giving your baby a greater chance to fight possible life-threatening diseases.

Research shows that the quality of the stem cells taken from the bone marrow is not as high as that of the umbilical cord blood. Patients who have received a bone marrow transplant are more likely to reject the new addition, which could lead to life threatening situations.

If a suitable donor is not found, doctors are able to search the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) for allogeneic matches (stem cells donated outside of the family). With nearly 7 million potential donors, and 70,000 units of cord blood available, the chances are greater of finding a near perfect match for those seeking treatment or transplants

For a successful transplant, the process is relatively complex, but the basics of the process involve typing the blood. Human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are markers (actually proteins) that are found in the body’s cell. If the markers of a transplant do not match, your body’s immune system would consider them foreign, and start destroying the transplanted cells. In other words, the transplant would be rejected, creating bigger problems for the patient. The greater number of protein matches between patient and donor, the greater the chance of success.

Stem cells are slow. They take time to produce the required blood cells. Till then the patient runs severe risk of infections due to reduced immunity.There may be case where the stem cells are not be as healthy as expected after being preserved for so many years. Theoretically, cord blood can be preserved forever. In reality, no one is sure about how long a unit of cord blood can be saved without affecting its utility.

It is important to understand that some types of blood are more common than others, so finding the right match may take some time. Doctors and NMDP will work together to locate possible matches across the globe, but understanding that protein markers are inherited, some matches may be more difficult to locate than others.

Understanding the cord blood transplant process, the factors involved, and the immediate need of the patient are all important for the patient and their family. However, a family can rest assured that doctors, and those at the NMDP are fervently seeking the best possible matches, so that care of the patient can be focused on during this process.