-
Overview
Deciding which cord blood bank to use is almost as important a decision as deciding to bank it in the first place. Cord blood can only be collected once in your child's lifetime. With such an important investment, it is equally important to make sure your child's sample is kept in the best possible place to ensure it is there and viable if and when needed. The following is a checklist of things to consider when you are choosing a blood bank.
Financial Stability
Research to make sure the bank you are considering is financially stable. Due to the cost of storage and processing cord blood, many public and family banks have gone out of business. Find out from the bank what their process is for your sample if they are no longer able to store for you. In this event, you may get hit with an additional transfer fee. Cord blood storage is a long-term commitment and although cord blood storage has only been around since the 1970s, a longer established company might have a better chance of being around in up to 20 years when you may need to utilize the sample.
Choose an Accredited Blood Bank
A bank that is accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks means that the bank itself, its laboratory and administration procedures are subject to inspection, review, regular validation and most importantly, are completely compliant guidelines established by the AABB for cord blood banking and processing. Stem cells are more delicate than whole blood samples and a lab that is not accredited may not be qualified to handle them as well as a bank that is specifically designed for the specialized processing that stem cells need. Do not assume that a bank that is currently going through the accreditation process is good enough. Make sure the bank you choose is completely accredited. General accreditation banks and "membership" banks are not sufficient.
Proper Storage
Proper storage of your baby's cord blood is essential to its longevity. Eliminate any banks that store the cord blood in blood bags as it has been well documented that blood bags tend to break during long-term storage. Choose a bank that will use Cryovials to store the blood. Cryovials have been used in laboratories for years and were initially designed for long term storage at low temperatures. Blood stored in cryovials are sealed inside a second layer of material that protects it. This second layer also protects against contamination from future unknown viruses. Cryovials allow the option separating the sample into multiple units which adds usage flexibility. Medical science has already made headway in growing stem cells from a small sample, it may be useful in the future (as medical science develops) to be able to expand the sample you have stored. Another consideration is to research whether a bank employs "controlled-rate" freezing. This method is performed using computerized equipment that decreases the temperature of the sample safely until it is ready for long term storage Freezing a sample too rapidly can damage the cells.
Experience
A bank that has a history of processing significant numbers of cord blood samples, as well as providing samples that were successfully used in a transplant, is a good indication of an experienced, competent blood bank. If you ever need to utilize your stem cell sample, it will first be tested for things such as viruses, bacterial contamination and cell count and viability before it is released for use in a transplant. High cell count and good viability are both indications of proper processing. Some of the questions to ask when choosing a bank, aside from how many samples they have processed and successfully used, are if they have had a sample rejected because of contamination, low cell count or loss of cell viability. A company that has processed a high number of samples but has a low number used for transplant should be removed from the list of consideration.
Correct Process for Samples
It is important to make sure that the bank you choose removes the red blood cells from your baby's cord blood before it is cryo-preserved. This removal process preserves the viability of the stem cell sample. Red cell separation is a highly specialized process however, so ask any potential blood banks about their experience and record for cell separation. How long they have been doing it and whether they publish their results are also good questions to ask. Published data can be helpful in determining a bank's validity. Some banks occasionally change processing methods. Ask if any of their samples have been successfully used in transplant using their current methods.
