Not many expectant couples are aware of the life-saving properties their newborn’s umbilical-cord blood and tissue contains. Rather than disposing of it as medical waste, some couples are now banking these stem cells for future medical use.

Finding ways to safeguard their children’s future was a huge priority for Lyndall Brill and her husband Stuart. After suffering 10 long years of infertility, there was never any doubt about the benefits of cord-blood banking. The East London-based chartered accountant registered both of her children shortly before they were born. ‘My husband and I feel comforted in our decision to bank the cord blood of our children, in that they will have medical options available to them should the worst happen to their health in the future,’ says Lyndall.

What is cord-blood banking?

Even though stem cells are so potent, not much is known in South Africa about cord-blood banking.

‘Cord tissue contains the type of stem cells that give rise to all the connective tissue in our bodies, such as skin, bone, muscle, cartilage, nerve and fat,’ asserts Bronwyn Roussot, medical officer at Netcells, a division of Next Biosciences, one of the few private companies that bank stem cells in the country. ‘These cells have powerful regenerative and anti-inflammatory properties.’

So valuable are stem cells that they can be used to treat at least 80 blood diseases, including bone-marrow cancers like leukaemia and lymphoma, sickle-cell anaemia, thalassaemia, Fanconi anaemia, and aplastic anaemia. ‘Cord blood is an alternative source of stem cells to a bone-marrow transplant,’ states Roussot. ‘Transplanted stem cells can regenerate diseased bone marrow, giving rise to healthy, blood-forming cells.’

But the uses of stem cells aren’t limited to blood diseases. Scientists believe they can also treat neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as spinal-cord injuries, type 1 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and osteoarthritis.

An example of one of many applications of this treatment is 10-year-old Xander Vermeulen. His stem cells, which his parents had banked at birth with another SA service provider, CryoSave, were used for a skin graft procedure following a severe injury to his left arm.

What’s the process and how much does it cost?

Although the benefits of stem-cell treatment are still being discovered, the process of banking them at birth is not as sci-fi as you might think. ‘Umbilical-cord blood and tissue stem cells are collected at birth, cryogenically frozen (a process whereby biological material is preserved at very low temperatures using liquid nitrogen) and preserved for potential future medical use,’ explains Roussot.

‘I found the cord-blood collection process straightforward and my ob/gyn, Dr. Fanuel Chimusoro, was onboard and facilitated it all, well after the birth of my children,’ recalls Lyndall. ‘The collection process was more complicated as the company relies on external couriers but they were able to ultimately ensure timely pick up of the specimens,’ she adds.

‘I perform stem-cell banking about one to three times a month,’ states Dr. Fanuel, who practices at Life Beacon Bay Hospital in East London. Due to the high cost involved, he says only one in five couples are interested in cord-blood banking and even fewer commit to it before their babies’ due date.

Although the registration fee is relatively low, the cost of processing your newborn’s stem cells is likely to be around R21,000, although you should check this with a cord blood bank service provider. You then need to pay the 10-year storage fee of between R4,000 to R5,000.

Roussot points out that there are interest-free payment options available, meaning you pay a set monthly fee if you store your child’s stem cells for five years. You can also choose to donate the stem cells to the South African Bone Marrow Registry once your storage period lapses.

‘We are very cognisant of the cost factor and that many families who desperately need a stem-cell transplant can’t afford it,’ acknowledges Roussot. ‘Next Biosciences have a Families of Hope Programme where for every 100 cord-blood units we get, we will collect a cord-blood unit from the baby sibling of a child who is affected by a stem-cell treatable disease.’

What are the drawbacks of cord blood banking?

Apart from the costs, there are other drawbacks to cord-blood banking. There is currently no public stem-cell bank in South Africa, such as the one that exists in the U.S., which means that parents can’t donate their babies’ umbilical cord blood for free.

‘Other disadvantages are that it can delay the clamping of the umbilical cord and that it’s not always possible to collect a sufficient amount of blood,’ states Dr. Fanuel. ‘Another risk is that it can increase maternal blood loss, especially during a C-section, and that contamination can ruin the collection.’ He says that with certain genetic-based cancers and diseases, harvesting can’t take place because the stem cells will contain the same tumour-prone genes.

Despite these risks, many couples are willing to bank their baby’s cord blood. To date, Netcells has stored over 22,000 units of cord blood. ‘It is not 100% surety of anything, but it gives my children more of a “fighting” chance, especially with the expected medical advancements in the future. We might be more conservative than most, but if anything it has shown us what is possible through medical intervention,’ says Lyndall.

For more information, talk to your healthcare provider or visit Netcells or CryoSave.

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