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Frequently Asked Questions:

What Are Stem Cells?

Stem cells are the building blocks of blood and the immune system. They can transform into other types of cells and have the ability to replenish themselves as needed. Additionally, stem cells can replace other blood cells in the body that are abnormal or have been destroyed by disease. The stem cells found in the placenta and the cord blood (called hematopoietic or blood-forming stem cells) can develop into red blood cells (which carry oxygen), white blood cells (immune cells that fight infections), and platelets (which clot blood and prevent hemorrhaging).

What Is Cord Blood Banking?

Cord blood banking enables parents to save the lifesaving stem cells found in the blood of their newborn's umbilical cord. The preservation of these stem cells provides families the benefit of having potentially lifesaving cells available for existing or future medical treatments. In fact, potentially life-improving and lifesaving treatments using cord blood stem cells have been successfully performed in more than 10,000 patients for some 80 known diseases.

Why bank stem cells from both the placenta and the cord blood?

The Stem Cell Connection will locate you a company that collects and stores stem cells from two sources that help sustain your baby's life during pregnancy -the placenta and the cord blood. It's called Placenta-Cord banking.

Placenta-Cord Banking can provide you with the most stem cells possible by collecting not only the cord blood, but also a second unit of stem cells from the placenta. Stem cells from the placenta are derived from a safe and almost unlimited source. Research has shown that treating debilitating and life-threatening diseases with more stem cells significantly improves treatment success and patient survival. By banking stem cells from both the placenta and the cord blood, you are substantially increasing the number of stem cells banked.

Is cord blood and placenta collection safe?

Yes. The process is noninvasive, performed by your own health care provider, and only takes about 5 minutes. After your baby has been born and the umbilical cord cut, the blood from the cord is collected. For placenta-derived stem cells, the placenta is simply placed into a special bag in the delivery room. The entire collection kit is then transported a short distance from the hospital to the cord blood bank, where it is processed and the stem cells are stored. It's that simple.

What diseases may be treated with stem cells?

So far, stem cells have been used to treat some 80 known diseases. These include leukemia and immune system disorders. Exciting research is under way to find future medical uses. Alzheimer's disease, cancer, heart disease, cartilage damage, diabetes, Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), Parkinson's disease, and spinal cord injury are all being studied. So the stem cells you store today may have even greater potential tomorrow.

Who can use these stem cells?

Stem cells can be used to treat children and adults who have certain life-threatening illnesses. And they also increase the probability of a suitable match for other family members. Once collected and stored, these cells provide your baby with an exact match for a potential stem cell transplant. They also carry a strong chance of a suitable match for other family members.

The Stem Cell Connection features the world's first cord blood banking referral program to enable families to collect and preserve lifesaving cells from both the placenta and the cord blood (Placenta-Cord banking), which when transplanted can rebuild blood and the immune system, including red blood cells (which carry oxygen), white blood cells (immune cells that fight infections), and platelets (which clot blood and prevent hemorrhaging).

Why Bank My Baby's Cord blood If My Family Has No History Of Cancer?

The causes of many cancers and diseases are unknown. And family history is not always an accurate or dependable predictor of cancer risk.

Parents should consider banking stem cells from cord blood and the placenta for the entire biological family-regardless of family history-because:

• The most common type of cancer in children and adolescents is leukemia, and most often occurs with no prior family history.
• Stem cell research is progressing in a number of therapeutic areas, such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and many other non-cancer diseases.

How long can stem cells be stored?

There is no evidence that cryogenically preserved stem cells have an expiration date. According to the New Jersey Cord Blood Bank (NJCBB), frozen blood stem cells can last indefinitely when properly stored-and have already been used successfully after being stored for more than a decade.

If someone in my family needs a transplant, couldn't we use stem cells from a public bank?

Yes. However, thousands of people every year who are waiting for a stem cell transplant don't ever receive one. By privately banking, you have immediate access to a perfect stem cell match for your child. And there is a greater likelihood of a suitable match for family members than from a public registry. Additionally, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the 1-year survival rate for patients treated with cord blood stem cells from a relative was 63%-compared with 29% from unrelated donors.

Is the Stem Cell Connection A Cord Blood Bank?

No. The Stem Cell Connection is not a cord blood bank, but a referral program. We go through a number of cord blood banking facilities to find the proper match for our clients.

Why Would I Chose To Use The Stem Cell Connection?

As a referral program, the Stem Cell Connection offers a storage guarantee to all its clients. If for some reason the storage facility where you have your cord blood stored dissolves or closes, The Stem Cell Connection guarantees to pay for the transfer and storage of your stem cells at another facility at no charge. If you store directly with a cord blood bank, you will have to pay another facility to transfer and store your stem cells, should the bank ever close. Families choose the Stem Cell Connection for piece of mind.