You may have seen recent news coverage this month generated by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) challenging the value of private cord blood banking as a result of a small survey conducted with transplant doctors.

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What wasnt covered in these stories is the crucial fact that the survey, which was published in this months issue of the journal, Pediatrics, is not new.  Its outdated.  The data was collected in 2004 – five years ago!  A lot has changed since then. 

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Most importantly, stem cell science itself has changed.  This survey data fails to reflect the pace of breakthrough progress researchers have made evaluating the benefits of infusing newborn stem cells from umbilical cord blood for therapeutic uses far beyond cancers and blood disorders.  By releasing the old survey data now, the AAP has fundamentally ignored the changes taking place in stem cell medicine – as well as the important role of private cord blood banks in the process.

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The use of a childs own (autologous) cord blood stem cells has emerged as an important research focus for regenerative medicine – the ability to fix or regrow specific tissue in the body, such as nerve tissue in the brain or insulin-generating cells in the pancreas.  Because autologous cord blood stem cells are safe and wont be rejected by the body – and because they have one-of-a-kind characteristics compared to other sources of stem cells – they’re an increasing focus of regenerative medicine research. 

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This day, private banking remains the only way to ensure a family has access to autologous cord blood stem cells or those of a sibling.  Its also important to know that there’s up to a 75 percent chance that a siblings cord blood stem cells can be a suitable match for traditional transplant therapies.  In addition, a childs own cord blood might be the preferred option even for certain types of cancers.  Since this survey was fielded, numerous autologous stem cell transplants have been performed for specific cases of leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and solid tumors. 

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Another important change since 2004 is the number and types of physician specialists who are using autologous stem cells – including newborn stem cells from cord blood – for medical therapies.  This survey reflects only the perspectives from hematologists and oncologists who have used stem cells for the treatment of many blood diseases and cancers. However, the past five years have brought many other doctor specialists and some of the most clinically challenging unmet medical needs to the forefront of stem cell medicine.  Neurologists, endocrinologists and others are actively evaluating autologous cord blood to treat conditions such as brain injury, and type 1 diabetes, to name a few.

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What a difference five years makes.

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While concerning, its not surprising that the AAP published this survey.  The academys current cord blood policy discourages family banking except in cases where a family member has a known medical condition that could potentially benefit from stem cell transplantation. 

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However, while family history and existing medical conditions are excellent reasons to bank cord blood, many diseases treatable by cord blood stem cells occur in the absence of any family history and without an affected family member.  Anyones health situation can change at anytime – sometimes unexpectedly. This is another key reason we believe the current AAP policy on cord blood banking is flawed.  Our perspective was first published more than a year ago in an issue of The Journal of Life Sciences.

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Parents with kids suffering from ailments such as brain injury, cerebral palsy, or diabetes AND who have stored their childs cord blood in a family bank now have an option they didnt have five years ago:  they have the opportunity to participate in groundbreaking medical research that’s showing encouraging  potential to treat conditions that have no cure today.

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The bottom line its this: as clinical research continues to advance – and as more expectant parents select to bank their newborns cord blood stem cells – doctors will have the option of using these privately banked cord blood stem cells more often.  Its happening already.  In the last four years, the number of autologous cord blood units released by CBR for medical use has increased 140 percent – a strong indication of the emerging acceptance and use of autologous cord blood stem cells in regenerative medicine.

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A different survey fielded today would most likely offer a very different outcome.

This week the Obama administration has given embryonic stem cell researchers what theyve been seeking:  the potential to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  Heres the irony:  now that the funding restrictions are lifted, embryonic stem cells might not be the primary focus of stem cell research anyway. 

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This is articulated very well in an article written for U.S. News & World Report by former director of the NIH, Dr. Bernadine Healy, titled, Why Embryonic Stem Cells Are Obsolete.  Dr. Healy points out that not all stem cells are same and that research with adult stem cells has scored major wins.  On the other hand, recent data shows that embryonic stem cells injected into patients can cause disabling if not deadly tumors (link to PLoS Medicine article).

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However, whats been overlooked in much of the dialogue and debate between embryonic stem cells vs. adult stem cells from bone marrow or blood is that theres a third category of stem cells with very special attributes:  newborn stem cells. 

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Newborn stem cells are a rich and diverse population of stem cells that can be collected from umbilical cord blood without ethical concerns in a 10-minute window immediately following birth.  This population of stem cells is a desirable source for clinical research because they are younger, more flexible and more pristine than adult stem cells.  In addition, newborn stem cells have demonstrated embryonic-like capabilities to proliferate and develop into all of the major cell types in the body; yet they dont carry the same safety concerns as embryonic stem cells. 

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As Dr. Healy points out, there are advantages to using a patients own stem cells in therapy.  There may be even greater advantages to using a patients own newborn stem cells from cord blood.  Researchers are making great strides forward in learning how to use a childs own newborn stem cells to treat conditions that have no cure this day, like diabetes, brain injury and other forms of nerve damage.  According to one physician, "Just a few years ago, umbilical cord blood stem cells were virtually the last defense in many disorders. Now it's the front line defense in many disorders."

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The key to advancing this research is identifying more children who have a specific condition and who have access to their own newborn stem cells.  Some research dollars from the NIH wouldnt injured either.

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