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Parents told their babies' blood could save lives
By Cai Wenjun |
00:08 UTC+8 January 19, 2009
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PARENTS who plan to store their newborn babies' umbilical cord blood are to be asked whether they are willing to donate it if it matches a patient with leukemia or immune deficiencies needing a stem cell transplant.
The Shanghai Cord Blood Bank said yesterday that it would make information about privately stored cord blood available if parents agreed.
Officials said this was to fully make use of current supplies of umbilical cord blood and help more patients. The local bank is the first of seven such facilities on Chinese mainland to provide the service.
"All procedures of the service are conducted with the approval of parents, who would sign an agreement when preserving the cord blood," said Chen Liyun, a bank official. If the stored blood matched a patient, the bank would inform parents and ask if they were willing to donate the cord blood.
If they refuse, no details will be released. If they agree, parents can recoup all their expenditure on collection, processing, testing and storage.
A pilot trial several months ago showed that many parents supported the new service. "Over half of parents who stored babies' cord blood last month signed a participation agreement," Chen said.
The bank, which opened in 2006, stores both cord blood donated for public use at no charge and cord blood that is reserved for family use only.
For private use, the bank charges 5,800 yuan (US$848) for collection, processing and testing and 800 yuan a year storage.
Cord blood and bone marrow are used in similar ways. The key ingredient in both are stem cells. Stem cells from umbilical cord blood are less mature than those in adult bone marrow, and less prone to rejection by the recipient.
The chance of finding a match using adult stem cells is up to one in every 100,000, while the chances of finding a matching donor for a patient is 50 to 100 times higher with umbilical cord blood.
About 40,000 to 50,000 Chinese are diagnosed with leukemia every year, half of them children. Only about 1,000 are able to receive a stem cell transplant because of the difficulty in finding a matching donor.
The local bank has already donated cord blood to 18 patients with leukemia and other cancers. Twelve have recovered. The blood was from the bank's public use section.
The Shanghai Cord Blood Bank said yesterday that it would make information about privately stored cord blood available if parents agreed.
Officials said this was to fully make use of current supplies of umbilical cord blood and help more patients. The local bank is the first of seven such facilities on Chinese mainland to provide the service.
"All procedures of the service are conducted with the approval of parents, who would sign an agreement when preserving the cord blood," said Chen Liyun, a bank official. If the stored blood matched a patient, the bank would inform parents and ask if they were willing to donate the cord blood.
If they refuse, no details will be released. If they agree, parents can recoup all their expenditure on collection, processing, testing and storage.
A pilot trial several months ago showed that many parents supported the new service. "Over half of parents who stored babies' cord blood last month signed a participation agreement," Chen said.
The bank, which opened in 2006, stores both cord blood donated for public use at no charge and cord blood that is reserved for family use only.
For private use, the bank charges 5,800 yuan (US$848) for collection, processing and testing and 800 yuan a year storage.
Cord blood and bone marrow are used in similar ways. The key ingredient in both are stem cells. Stem cells from umbilical cord blood are less mature than those in adult bone marrow, and less prone to rejection by the recipient.
The chance of finding a match using adult stem cells is up to one in every 100,000, while the chances of finding a matching donor for a patient is 50 to 100 times higher with umbilical cord blood.
About 40,000 to 50,000 Chinese are diagnosed with leukemia every year, half of them children. Only about 1,000 are able to receive a stem cell transplant because of the difficulty in finding a matching donor.
The local bank has already donated cord blood to 18 patients with leukemia and other cancers. Twelve have recovered. The blood was from the bank's public use section.
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