Cord blood conservation: does it make sense? Stem cells - everything you wanted to know about cord blood.

To date, if not everyone, then very many have heard about stem cells. The topic is of particular interest to future parents who are on the way to making a decision about saving blood from the umbilical cord of their newborn baby. The health of the child can directly depend on the correctness of their choice.

Let's talk about why cord blood is stored in special banks. In addition, consider its characteristics and methods of application.

What is cord blood?

This name was given to the blood, which is taken from the umbilical cord of the baby and the placenta immediately after birth. Its value lies in the high concentration of stem cells, which have many positive characteristics.

What are stem cells

Cord blood cells are called stem cells. They are the main "bricks" in the structure of the body's immune system. In addition, stem cells have such an interesting feature as the ability to divide throughout the entire life cycle. This contributes to the restoration of any tissues of the body. And stem cells are able to differentiate absolutely in any other of which there are more than two hundred.

How cord blood is collected

So how should cord blood be collected? It should be noted right away that this procedure is completely painless for both the mother and her newborn baby. Other than that, it doesn't pose any danger.

Immediately after childbirth, a needle is inserted into the umbilical vein, through which the blood flows by gravity into a special bag. It already contains a liquid that prevents clotting. In total, from 50 to 250 ml of blood comes out, which contains from 3 to 5 percent of stem cells.

After the afterbirth has passed, the obstetrician cuts off about 10-20 centimeters of the umbilical cord and places it in a special package.

All biomaterials must be delivered to the laboratory within 4-6 hours. There they are processed, frozen and stored.

Stem cell shelf life and uses

Preservation of cord blood is a process that must take place in compliance with all necessary rules and regulations. After all, the life span of stem cells depends on it.

With proper storage, this period can be tens of years, which is confirmed by the fact that the first blood bank was opened back in 1993. It is from that moment until our time that the first taken stem cells from umbilical cord blood are stored.

There can be no doubt that this biomaterial will be 100% suitable for the child himself in the future. In addition, studies have shown that (parents, brothers and sisters) can also use the valuable liquid. At the same time, the probability that the blood is ideal is within 25%.

Stem cells in adults

After reading the above information, the question may arise: why should stem cells be collected from a newborn child? Are they really not in the body of an adult? Of course there is. But!

The main difference is in the concentration of stem cells in the blood. With age, their number constantly decreases. The results of the conducted studies will help to verify this: in newborns, 1 stem cell falls on 10 thousand cells of the body, in adolescence - on 100 thousand, and after 50 years - on 500 thousand. At the same time, not only their quantity decreases, but also their quality. Umbilical cord stem cells are much more active than those derived from the bone marrow. The main reason for this is their youth.

Why is it necessary to save blood from the umbilical cord

Modern medicine has moved far ahead and can do a lot. But still, there are some diseases for which a cure has not yet been invented. It is in such cases that the way out of the situation can be the use of cord blood, or to be more precise, the stem cells that are contained in it. For example, it can be diseases of the immune system. This also includes cases when restoration or blood is necessary, as well as biomaterial is used for the speedy regeneration of tissues after extensive burns or wounds.

Even if the baby was born completely healthy, this does not guarantee that he will not need stem cells throughout his life. In addition, they can be used to treat close relatives. Therefore, even before childbirth, it is worth thinking about the issue of collecting cord blood to ensure that in which case it is possible to restore the health of not only the child, but also the rest.

Cord blood treatment

It was mentioned above that cord blood and the stem cells it contains are a real panacea for getting rid of many serious illnesses. But without specific examples, such words will remain just empty sounds. Therefore, let us recall some of the most common diseases (although there are more than 80 in total), which can be eliminated through the use of such a biomaterial. For convenience, all of them will be divided into interconnected groups.

Blood diseases:

• lymphoma;
• hemoglobinuria;
• refractory and aplastic anemia;
• sickle cell anemia;
• waldenstrom;
• paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria;
• sharp and;
• Fanconi anemia;
• macroglobulinemia;
• myelodysplasia.

Autoimmune diseases:

• rheumatoid arthritis;
• cerebral palsy;
• spinal cord injury;
• stroke;
• Alzheimer's disease;
• systemic scleroderma;
• diseases of the nervous system;
• Parkinson's disease.

Oncological diseases:

• neuroblastoma;
• cancer (breast, kidney, ovary, testis);
• Ewing's sarcoma;
• rhabdomyosarcoma;
• a brain tumor;
• thymoma.

Other congenital and acquired diseases:

• metabolic disorders;
• immunodeficiency;
• diabetes;
• muscular dystrophy;
• cirrhosis of the liver;
• AIDS;
• histiocytosis;
• amyloidosis.

Special indications and contraindications for cord blood storage

There are situations when the issue of cord blood conservation needs to be given special attention. This applies when:

• family members are representatives of different nationalities;
• someone from the family was diagnosed with blood diseases or malignant diseases;
• there are many children in the family;
• the family already has sick children;
• pregnancy occurred after IVF;
• there are suspicions that in the future there may be a need for the use of stem cells.

But it also happens that it is forbidden to save stem cells. This occurs in cases of a positive result for the presence of diseases such as hepatitis B and C, syphilis, HIV-1 and HIV-2, T-cell leukemia.

How effective is stem cell treatment?

Scientists have long known about the beneficial functions that cord blood has. And today, active research is being carried out on the use of stem cells for the treatment of various diseases. It is worth noting that they are quite successful, and in the near future, thanks to cord blood, it will be possible to get rid of many diseases. In addition, in the laboratory, a new full-fledged organ can be grown from stem cells! Such a discovery advanced medicine far ahead and put it, so to speak, on a new stage of evolution.

stem cells and what does it do?

After the decision to store cord blood has been made, it remains to deal with just one question: where will it be stored? Are there special places for such purposes? The answer, of course, is yes.

The cord blood stem cell bank is a place where such valuable biological material will be stored in compliance with all necessary standards. At the same time, there are two registers: nominal and public.

In the first case, the blood from the umbilical cord of the child belongs to his parents, and only they can dispose of it. But in such a situation, they will have to pay for all services themselves, from collection and processing to storage.

Stem cells from the public registry can be used by anyone if the need arises.

Choosing a stem cell bank

When choosing a stem cell storage bank, you need to focus on several important points. Let's consider each of them in more detail.

1. Time of existence of the bank. In this regard, everything is logical, because the more time the organization works, the more customers trust it, mainly due to confidence in its stability. In addition, employees of such a bank usually have extensive experience in working with cord blood.
2. Having a license. This is a mandatory item. The bank must have a permit for the collection, transportation and storage of stem cells, which was issued by the health committee.
3. base of the institution. It is best to choose a bank that is based on a research institute or a medical institution. This will guarantee that they will meet all the conditions for working with biological material and its storage.
4. Availability of the necessary equipment. The bank must be equipped with a double centrifuge, as well as Sepax and Macopress machines.
5. Availability of an automatic control system for cryostorages. This will help control the temperature in the room with cord blood samples, as well as receive reports on their storage for placement in a special archive.
6. Availability of a courier service. This is necessary so that bank employees can quickly arrive at the maternity ward, collect cord blood and deliver it to the laboratory. The preservation of the viability of stem cells directly depends on the efficiency of their work.
7. Conducting scientific research in the field of cellular technologies by the bank. This point is no less important than all the others. In addition, the bank must cooperate with medical institutions and leading research institutes of the city.
8. Availability of round the clock security. This point does not require further explanation.

Among other things, you can further clarify whether the bank has experience in using stem cells for treatment purposes. Having a positive answer will only be another plus.

So we got acquainted with the question "what is cord blood." Its use, as we see, is indicated for the treatment of serious diseases, when medical preparations are already powerless. But in any case, the decision on whether to collect the umbilical cord blood of their newborn child or not is made only by his parents.

At the end of the 20th century, thanks to the development of cellular technologies, cord blood was recognized as a valuable biological material, each milliliter of which is now "worth its weight in gold." Studies have shown that cord blood is a valuable source of hematopoietic stem cells, which have the ability to restore the hematopoietic and immune systems of the human body. Until 1988, such cells were isolated only from the bone marrow or peripheral blood of an adult. But this carries a certain risk for his health associated with general anesthesia (narcosis) and blood loss.

What is the value of cord blood stem cells?

It has been scientifically and practically proven for many years that with the help of hematopoietic (hematopoietic) stem cells, a person can restore the hematopoietic and immune systems in which disturbances have occurred as a result of illness, chemotherapy or other causes. Currently, cord blood stem cells are used to treat more than 85 hereditary and acquired oncohematological diseases.

Cord blood stem cells have a number of important advantages over cells from other sources.

Youth. Throughout life, a person ages and is exposed to the adverse effects of the external environment and ecology. Stem cells obtained from umbilical cord blood are much younger than similar cells from the bone marrow, since they are preserved at the very beginning of life and have not yet been exposed to various harmful factors.

Quantity. The number and concentration of stem cells in umbilical cord blood is higher than in bone marrow and peripheral blood. So, for example, 100 ml of cord blood contains as many stem cells as 1 liter of bone marrow.

Collection security. The process of cord blood collection is simple, takes no more than 3 minutes, does not cause discomfort and is safe for mother and child.

potential and activity. Scientists believe that the number of cell divisions is limited. In addition, since cord blood stem cells are collected at one of the earliest stages of a person's life, their ability to divide and turn into cells that the body needs is very high.

Compatibility. Own blood is always 100% suitable for the child. With a high probability (more than 25%, which is a very high figure), it will suit his siblings as well.

Application safety. Using your own stem cells is safe and does not cause immune complications. Mandatory conditions for the use of cord blood stem cells are the presence of indications for use and the absence of contraindications for transplantation.

Profitability. Finding a suitable bone marrow donor can be difficult and expensive. If the cord blood collected at the time of the birth of the baby is stored in the stem cell bank, it is available at any time.

Use of cord blood stem cells

The development of cellular technologies significantly expands the scope of stem cells. According to statistics, today the total number of clinical trials taking place in the world with the use of cellular technologies is about 4000. For example, in the USA, Germany, China and other countries, clinical trials are underway on the use of cord blood cells for the treatment of cerebral palsy (infantile cerebral palsy), acquired deafness , autism, type I diabetes and other diseases.

Cord blood banks

There are donor and private banks for personal storage of stem cells.

The Cord Blood Donor Bank is a public institution. It keeps a record of received samples, entering them into the international database of donors, and carries out unnamed storage of the received material. In case of compatibility, anyone who is eligible for stem cell transplantation can use it.

Banks of personal storage carry out nominal storage of cord blood stem cells collected at the birth of a baby, and only the child or members of his family can use them.

The decision - to save or not to save cord blood during childbirth - can only be taken by future parents, this is a voluntary choice of each family. The main thing to remember is that you can collect cord blood stem cells only once in your life - at the time of the baby's birth. Therefore, it is important to make this decision in advance.

How is cord blood collected?

Cord blood collection is an absolutely safe procedure for mother and baby, since blood is taken from an already cut off umbilical cord, and there is no contact with the child and woman. This is a safe and easy way to "extract" stem cells, which is currently approved in the developed countries of the world. Medical personnel immediately after the birth of the child collects blood using a special disposable sterile system. After that, in a special container, in the shortest possible time (no more than 48 hours), the bag with blood is delivered to the cord blood stem cell bank for further processing (isolation of stem cells, laboratory testing, analyzes) and long-term storage at ultra-low temperatures (-150... –196°С).

Cord blood donation is the process of collecting, freezing and storing blood from the umbilical cord and placenta after your baby is born for future medical use. Cord blood is highly valued because it is a rich source of stem cells, the building blocks of blood and the human immune system.

Stem cells have the unique ability to differentiate into other tissues; therefore, it can treat a huge variety of diseases, including leukemia and sickle cell anemia. Here everything is decided only by you and your family: donate the cord blood of your unborn child or not.

1. Does cord blood really show promising results?

Numerous studies around the world allow us to look with optimism into the future of this issue. Experts say that one day cancer patients will be able to benefit from stem cells that were deposited at birth. Therefore, there is hope that stem cells can be used to treat non-genetic cancers.

In light of recent animal experiments, there is speculation that cord blood will be used in the near future to treat diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart failure, stroke, and serious neurological diseases. However, the possibilities of stem cells are still under development and exciting promises.

2. How much does it cost?

Private cord blood banks typically charge a registration fee of 60,000 rubles or so, plus annual storage fees of about 6,000 rubles.

3. Can my unborn child be treated with his own cord blood?

If your child has or develops a disease on a genetic basis - these are just the cases in which you can only benefit from a cord blood transplant - because. it already contains all the genetic instructions for this disease and is therefore not a suitable treatment. Most stem banks are designed to treat brothers and sisters.

4. So we are more likely to find a stem cell donor in a public cord blood bank than in our own family?

There is only a 30% chance of an exact tissue match between brother and sister, according to reputable doctors involved in national bone marrow donor programs. If we talk about such compliance in public databases, then we are talking about 1%.

Some experts express doubts about cord blood donation to the general public, similar to blood banks. On the other hand, such actions are recommended for families in which there is a person diagnosed who is being treated with cord blood transplantation. In this situation, you can apply for participation in the "Kinship Links" donor program, which involves the collection, processing and storage of material for 6 years at no cost.

5. Conclusion?

In a word, if you decide to donate the cord blood of your unborn child, discuss this with your supervising doctor and start choosing a public or private bank right now. The fact is that most private banks give preference to women in the second trimester of pregnancy. If you delay further, then you will have to pay a late registration fee.

Recently, on the eve of childbirth, expectant mothers are increasingly being offered a new service - the collection of cord blood and sending it to a cryobank. This procedure is not cheap and costs several tens of thousands of rubles. What is it and who needs it?

The placenta and umbilical cord are the by-products of childbirth that are usually thrown away. And only recently, scientists have found out that they contain the most useful components - the stem cells of the child. If collected, stored, and then properly used, they can provide invaluable assistance in the treatment of many diseases.

What are stem cells

Stem cells are the universal cells of the body from which all other cells grow. This process is especially active in young children, slowing down with age. Each organ or type of tissue has its own stem cells - blood, skin, heart muscle, and so on.

The main type of stem cells that are used today are blood stem cells. Cord blood is their second most important source after bone marrow, but it has one indisputable advantage over it: there is no need to look for a suitable donor, since the donor and recipient are the same person. In addition, the baby's stem cells are suitable not only for himself, but also with a high probability for his closest relatives: brother, sister or parents.

Already today, cord blood stem cells can be used to treat more than 80 blood diseases - these are leukemia, leukemia, severe forms of anemia (anemia), blood clotting disorders, as well as some malformations. However, scientists around the world are actively conducting research, trying to expand the scope of their application and teach them to turn into cells of other organs, such as the heart, liver, blood vessels. This will allow doctors to literally work miracles - to restore dead tissue, for example, the heart after a heart attack, or a liver damaged by cirrhosis. And such operations are already being carried out in scientific laboratories.

When is cord blood collection necessary?

Of course, the probability of a serious illness in a healthy child, and therefore the fact that the stored cells will be useful to the infant himself, is very, very small. But there are some situations in which cord blood collection becomes more relevant:

- If problems were found during screening or ultrasound during pregnancy, such as malformations;
- If the child's closest relatives had blood diseases - leukemia, leukemia, lymphomas, lymphogranulomatosis;
- In those families where there is already a child with blood diseases, the stem cells of his brother or sister are best suited for treatment;
- If the father and mother of the child are of different nationalities, since in this case the risk of blood diseases is higher;
- If the pregnancy occurred as a result of IVF;
— If there is any concern and possibility that stem cells may be useful in the near future.

How is the procedure

The procedure for collecting cord blood is absolutely safe for all its participants - both for mother and baby. Blood is taken from the umbilical cord after it has been cut. This procedure is performed by a midwife, who must be warned in advance and prepared a cord blood collection kit, which is issued by a cryobank. Collection is possible both after natural childbirth and after caesarean section.

After collecting blood in a special container with protection against clotting, it is transported to a bank with which the parents have an agreement. There, the blood is processed in a special way, stem cells are extracted from it, and the liquid part is sent for tests - HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, cytomegalovirus.

Next, the stem cells are placed in a special sealed container for freezing: it can be a cryobag or test tubes. Many banks provide the option to choose a container. The storage bag is the gold standard and, if necessary, it is accepted by any clinics abroad. But there is a downside: cells from a bag can only be used once, unlike tubes, which can be thawed one at a time and used several times. However, test tubes are not currently accepted in all clinics in Russia and are not accepted at all in Europe, and it will be possible to use them only in the distant future.

Each stem cell sample is provided with several so-called satellite tubes from the same blood. This is done so that, if necessary, additional analyzes can be carried out without thawing the main sample.

Finally, a cryoprotectant is added to the container with stem cells - a substance that prevents cell death during freezing, and it is sent for freezing along with satellite test tubes. First, very slow freezing to -80°C takes place in a special installation, and then the samples are transferred to storage in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196°C. Such a low temperature ensures long-term storage without loss of cell viability for decades.

Can defrosting occur in the event of a power outage in the bank? Usually for such cases, all banks have double protection and their own generator. In addition, blood is stored in special vessels (dewars) with liquid nitrogen, the operation of which largely depends on the regular supply of new batches of liquid nitrogen. Therefore, the organization of the process plays a more important role here than external accidents.

When the bank fails

There are very few situations where stem cell banks refuse to accept material. This is usually due to infection in the sample: either the blood was infected during collection at the maternity hospital with bacteria and fungi, or the results of blood tests revealed the presence of HIV, hepatitis or syphilis in it.

It is not advisable to store cord blood stem cells even if signs of tumor diseases and leukemia cells are detected in it. This becomes clear at the stage of isolation, selection of stem cells and their determination under a microscope.

Stem cell banks in Russia

The stem cell bank carries out all procedures for the preparation and storage of stem cells. It is with him that you need to conclude a contract for storage, he issues a system for collecting blood in the maternity hospital, and after placing the sample in storage - a personal identification certificate. In total, there are about 200 cord blood banks in the world, about 11 in Russia.

Russia

- Gemabank - created on the basis of the Cancer Center named after. N.N. Blokhin (Moscow) and is a division of the Russian biotechnology company "".
- Cryocenter - on the basis of the Scientific Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences.
— Bank of stem cells of the Perinatal Medical Center, Moscow, www.perinatalmedcenter.ru, www.bank-pmc.ru.
— Bank of the Clinical Center for Cellular Technologies, Samara, a public health institution of the Samara region.
— Pokrovsky Bank of Human Stem Cells – private, St. Petersburg.
— Bank of the Trans-Technologies company, St. Petersburg.

stem cell transplant

Transplantation today in most cases is carried out intravenously. But every day technologies are improving, and soon it will be possible to transplant stem cells directly into a diseased organ.

If suddenly a child has a problem in which his stem cells are useful, the bank issues samples and delivers them to the medical institution where the transplant will be performed.

Where is blood stem cell transplantation performed?

Moscow
— FGBU Russian Children's Clinical Hospital, www.rdkb.ru
— Russian Cancer Research Center named after A.I. Blokhin, www.ronc.ru
— Federal State Budgetary Institution Hematological Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences
— FBU Main Military Clinical Hospital named after Burdenko, www.gvkg.ru
— Central Children's Clinical Hospital of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, www.dkb38.ru
— Federal State Budgetary Institution Federal Medical Biophysical Center. Burnazyan, www.fmbcfmba.ru

St. Petersburg
— Military Medical Academy
— Research Institute of Hematology and Transfusiology
— State Medical University. Pavlova (Gorbacheva Institute of Pediatric Hematology)

Russia
— Yekaterinburg, City Hospital No. 7
— Yekaterinburg, Regional Hospital No. 1
— Novosibirsk, Institute of Clinical Immunology
— Samara, regional hospital
— Yaroslavl, Regional Clinical Hospital

A radical method of treating many severe hematological diseases is that isolated from bone marrow or blood tissue. It is possible to carry it out by searching for a suitable donor, which is quite difficult. The probability of the existence of an unrelated donor compatible in terms of HLA antigenic composition is 1:100,000. This requires entire registries of typed donors, numbering several hundred thousand people. Cord blood collection helps to partially solve this problem.

Clinical use

Blood derived from the placenta is a rich source of hematopoietic cells. The concentration of colony-forming units in it significantly exceeds their amount in the blood of an adult, even after stimulation with growth factors. It approaches in its composition to the bone marrow tissue. Therefore, stem cells contained in cord blood can be successfully used in hematology for the treatment of the following diseases:

• myelodysplastic syndromes;
• some congenital diseases (hereditary hemoglobinopathies, Barr's syndrome, etc.).

Transplantation of hematopoietic cells derived from placental blood is a promising area in medicine, which is already used in neurology (consequences of injuries, degenerative diseases of the nervous system), rheumatology (diffuse), oncology and other industries.

The effectiveness of such treatment is determined by:

• timely diagnosis and treatment of the disease;
• the degree of histocompatibility (according to the HLA system) of the donor and recipient;
• the age of the patient (gives good results in children under 5 years old);
• the number of transplanted stem cells (if there are few of them, then the risk of recurrence of the pathological process or graft failure increases).

blank

Cord blood is obtained during childbirth through the natural birth canal or by caesarean section. At the stage of planning the procedure, a pregnant woman is comprehensively examined and diseases of an infectious nature are excluded from her (, etc.).

In preparation for childbirth, a system for blood sampling is prepared under aseptic conditions. It consists of a special container with hemopreservative and a device for taking blood.

In normal vaginal delivery, blood sampling can be carried out in two ways:

• If the placenta is in the uterine cavity and has not yet separated, then blood exfusion is performed after clamping the umbilical cord and separating the newborn from the fetal site. To do this, the umbilical cord is carefully treated with antiseptic solutions, after which the umbilical vein is punctured, placing the material collection container 50-70 cm below the mother's abdomen so that blood flows into it spontaneously.
• If the placenta has already been isolated from the uterine cavity, then it is placed on a special frame with the fetal part down, then the umbilical cord vein is also processed and punctured, after which blood is obtained into a container.

An additional 10 ml of blood is taken from the umbilical cord artery for the initial stage of the examination for belonging to a blood group and hidden infections.

After the end of the procedure, the container is disconnected and transported to the cord blood bank in a special refrigerator or additional container protected from temperature changes. At the same time, the duration of storage of blood with hemoconservative before its fractionation should not exceed 24 hours. Otherwise, the stem cells die.

Stem cell storage

Isolation of hematopoietic cells from cord blood is carried out under aseptic conditions.

• For this, the blood is subjected to centrifugation at high speeds, as a result of which plasma is separated from it.
• After that, the sedimentation of erythrocytes is started by adding a sedimenting agent (gelatin, hydroxyethyl starch).
• The resulting cell suspension is mixed with saline and centrifuged twice.
• Then, using a syringe, the cell sediment is separated and prepared for freezing and long-term storage.

Stem cells obtained from cord blood are stored at low temperatures in a frozen state:

• in refrigerators with a temperature of -80 degrees (up to 6 months);
• in liquid nitrogen vapor at a temperature of -150 degrees (several years);
• in containers with liquid nitrogen and a temperature of -196 degrees (more than 20 years).

To freeze the cell suspension, it is pre-cooled to +4 degrees in an ice bath or in a refrigerator. Then this suspension is collected with a syringe and transferred to a canning bag, adding a protective solution drop by drop, after which the bag is sealed and placed in a special apparatus for programmatic freezing. At the same time, the process itself is carried out according to a four-stage program, which allows maintaining cell viability for a long time.

To use frozen stem cell samples, immediately before transfusion, the cell suspension is slowly thawed in a water bath at a temperature of +40 degrees. After thorough mixing, a study is performed on the safety of the cells and their viability.

Laboratory testing

The use in clinical practice of blood obtained from the umbilical cord requires special testing in the laboratory. This allows you to determine the affiliation according to the HLA system, evaluate the quality of the drug and identify the potential for infection with infectious diseases.

The list of required laboratory tests includes:

• determination of the volume of cord blood and the content of cellular elements in it (stem cells, leukocytes, erythrocytes);
• blood test for markers of viral hepatitis;
• biochemical blood test ();
• detection of antibodies to HIV, pale treponema,;
• blood culture for sterility;
• determination of the HLA genotype, blood group according to the AB0 system and the Rh factor.

About 10 ml of blood is needed to conduct all studies in full. Of these, 4 ml are immediately taken for testing, and the remaining 6 ml are centrifuged and frozen, after which they are examined again. This makes it possible to assess the quality of the graft and predict the time of engraftment of hematopoietic cells in the patient's body.

Cord blood for research is used very sparingly in order to minimize the loss of hematopoietic cells.

• Determination of group affiliation, HLA phenotype, biochemical parameters is performed in a portion of blood taken from the umbilical artery.
• Bacteriological examination is carried out in the erythrocyte mass remaining after centrifugation.
• Serological studies of blood serum in order to detect infections are carried out using plasma obtained in the process of fractionation.
• Evaluation of the concentration of hematopoietic precursor cells is made in the cell sediment obtained by dividing the blood into fractions.

Advantages and disadvantages of using cord blood

Currently, many parents are thinking about whether it is worth harvesting the umbilical cord blood of a child, is it important or not? In order to answer these questions, consider the benefits of this treatment method.

1. The procedure is absolutely safe (does not harm the health of the mother and child).
2. Does not require additional anesthesia.
3. It has a low risk of contracting infectious diseases.
4. Provides the possibility of long-term storage of hematopoietic cells.
5. Provides biological life insurance for a child with the development of serious diseases (especially the hematopoietic system).

However, there are also disadvantages of using cord blood as a source of stem cells.

1. The main one is the relatively small amount of material obtained and its loss during harvesting and laboratory testing.
2. Another disadvantage of this procedure is its high cost with a low probability of use in a child. However, it is hardly comparable with the cost of bone marrow transplantation, which amounts to tens of thousands of dollars.

Currently, there are special cord blood banks in Russia and other countries. These can be private or public entities. The latter aim to create a certain stock of biological material that can be used for scientific research and treatment of patients.

Private banks are engaged in the storage of nominal samples, which can be used in case of illness. They offer their customers different rates:

• The average cost of collection and storage of cord blood in Gemabank is 65,000 rubles, it is paid separately for each year of storage (7,000 rubles).
• In the Cryocenter stem cell bank, a package of stem cell storage (25 years) has a total cost of about 230,000 rubles.