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Is your question not included? Please feel free to contact us at info@stamcelbank.nl or 033 – 465 8 222.
Every midwife or medical specialist is able to collect your child’s cord blood. They are all familiar with collecting blood for the Rhesus-test. In principal the handling is identical except the volume of blood that needs to be collected is greater.
In the collection kit you find one page with a clear explanation of the procedure to hand over to the medical specialist or midwife if needed.
Immediately after clamping the remaining cord blood is collected. The moment of clamping is decided by the medical specialists or midwife. See the explanation about delayed clamping in the special section below.
The stem cells must be at the laboratory within 72 hours of collection. So if you give birth during the day, call us immediately and it will be collected the same day. If you give birth at night then call us immediately the next morning.
In principal stem cells can be banked indefinitly. Scientically proven is a period of 23 years without a significant loss of viability. There is no reason to expect that a different length of time will give different results.
More is better. The collection bag can contain 250 cc. Any amount is important but the actiog professional should try to collect at least 60 cc. Any quantity wil be tested in our lab as sometimes a low volume can hold a high number of stem cells. But again MORE is better.
No. The cord has three blood vessel. Normally you would select the largest one but any will do.
Yes, Cord blood can be collected with a Caesarian section. Just tell your medical professional in time that you want to save the cord blood.
When you give birth to fraternal twins you need two separate sets because each baby has its own placenta. In case of an identical twin you only need one set.
Do not forget to call our pick-up number asap. Just keep the packed collection kit at room temperature. No need to place the collection kit in the fridge.
All completed forms and the blood bag and 2 tubes of blood from the mother may be placed back in the box. The set then goes into DHL's white plastic bag with the black letters.
You then call the number listed on the set and the courier will come and pick it up. This could be at the hospital or at home, depending on where you are.
Unfortunately not. In approx 5% of the cases we cannot isolate sufficient stem cells to bank meaningfully. Our lab staff will in, 99,9% of the cases, follow the isolation and freezing protocol even with very low volumes and/or viability. In these cases our specialists will contact you to discuss the options.
You do not have to pay anything in advance. Just fill in the application form and we will send you the collection kit free of charge. If we have received the collection kit with the cord blood, our lab will isolate the stem cells and store it temporarily.
You only pay the start-up fee if the stem cells are stored successfully. If the number of stem cells or the viability is too low and you decide not to go ahead you will not pay anything.
Yes, it is the easiest and savest method of payment. The only payment that you need to execute yourself is the start-up fee. If you want to discuss a different form of payment please call us directly. We will always try to find a solution.
The duration of the contract is in principle indefinite as stem cells can be used in all phases of life. We have a mandatory minimum of 10 years and after that it is up to the parent(s) or the (grown up) child to decide the length of contract.
You remain the owner of the stem cells at all times. We are literally the bank that stores and keeps the stem cells for you. You will always have to give permission if something is going to happen with the stem cells. After reaching adulthood, the stem cells automatically transfer to the person.
The banked stem cells are of course a 100% match for the child itself. For siblings there is a 25% matching chance.
For non-related persons the chance for a match is one in 55.000 or less. A workable match is never a 100% match. There is no other person in the world with an identical match except fraternal twins.
If the stem cells are to be applied, a doctor or hospital will make the request. Of course, this always goes through the owner himself. You must always give permission. In consultation with the treating doctor or hospital, the stem cells are released and sent to the desired location.
In case of genetic diseases donor stem cells are used to treat the disease.
In all other cases your body’s own stem cells are always first choice.
In case of a genetic form of leukemia (50% of the cases) donor stem cells are the standard operating procedure.
Being able to benefit from donor cells to treat a disease if of course an incredible opportunity for patients suffering from a myriad of diseases.
Stories circulate the internet about the idea that cord blood does not contain enough stem cells for a useful treatment. Nothing is more wrong. First of all these calculation are based on allogeneic (donor) stem cells. Secondly it depends on the type of condition that needs to be treated.
A Dutch boy treated at Duke university used only half of the banked stem cells for his treatment.
In clinical trials doctors use lower numbers of stem cells each time and it is also an option to differentiate stem cells in vitro to increase the number of progenitor cells.
By differentiating the available stem cells you can reach a similar result with a lower number of stem cells.
We get a lot of questions about delayed clamping. “Can we bank stem cells even after delayed clamping” “Is it not better for the child” “Is it not better to bank stem cells” etc.
The scientific discussion once was primarily about A: Immediate clamping or B: exercise a delay for 10 to 20 seconds before . These days midwifes sometimes suggest clamping after a substantial amount of time. An important scientific research concluded as follows: The time of delayed cord clamping is a matter of controversy: Yao et al. showed that the first, and most significant, placental transfusion occurs 10 to 15 seconds after delivery (Figure 1), followed by a period of insignificant gain of blood at 30 and 45 seconds” ( ispub.com/IJPN/11/2/13641)
SCBN does not interfere with the decision you make together with the acting medical professional but one to two minutes, if you choose to do so, is more than sufficient.