Best Cord Blood Banking Companies and Benefits
Introduction: What is Cord Blood Banking and Why is it Important?
Cord blood banking is the process of collecting and storing stem cells that are found in the umbilical cord and placenta of a newborn baby.
Some parents are opting to store their child’s cord blood in case it is ever needed. The primary use for this type of banking is for the treatment of diseases that affect the immune system, such as leukemia or lymphoma.
The cells in cord blood are used to create new, healthy blood cells. This can help people who have a variety of diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, and other cancers.
There are two types of public cord banks: those that collect donations for anyone in need, and those that collect donations for family members only.
After giving delivery, many new parents turn to cord blood banking to conserve and store the blood from their baby’s umbilical cord. The blood that runs through the umbilical cord and placenta, which is high in stem cells, has the potential to save a person’s life because it can be used to cure diseases including blood cancers and disorders.
Read: Top 10 Largest Hospitals In The World
Cord blood banking is a personal choice, and the related expenditures, particularly for private cord blood banking, can be substantial. While many doctors and professional organizations advise against private cord blood banking, they support public cord blood banking. Still, there are advantages to private cord blood banking, and if you do decide to preserve cord blood at a private cord blood bank.
Best Cord Blood Banks in the World 2023
- Cryo-Cell International
- LifeBankUSA
- Alphacord
- Cryocyte
- HealthBanks Biotech USA
1. Cryo-Cell International
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Annual Storage Fee
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$175
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Extra services offered
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Cord blood tissue storage
Cryo-Cell International has several accreditations, a strong track record of transplants, and affordable prices when it comes to cord blood banking. The processing and testing charge for its regular blood cord storage service is $1,500 (followed by a $175 annual storage fee), though it offers discounts and special rates. Upgrades to the Premium service, which includes more modern cord blood processing technologies, are also available. Other choices include storing cord blood tissue (in addition to cord blood), paying for 18 years of storage in advance, and 12-month and 24-month finance programs. The company’s laboratory is located in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Noteworthy Features:
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We guarantee engraftment for up to $100,000. If for any reason your blood does not engraft with the new donor, we will cover the costs of the procedure.
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Offers a Donor Transplant Program
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We have now released 100 cord blood collections for transplants and 57 for autologous therapy.
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Accredited by the Foundation For The Accreditation Of Cellular Therapy (FACT) and the AABB.
2. LifeBankUSA
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Annual storage fee
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$150
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Extra services offered
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Cord blood tissue, placenta stem cells
Lifebank is based in Florham Park, New Jersey, and operates as a subsidiary of Celularity. It offers cord blood banking services at moderate prices, albeit its $1,495 collection charge is higher than the other banks on our list. It really shines, though, when it comes to storing placenta tissue and blood, as it provides a service that gathers stem cells trapped in the placenta’s blood arteries. According to the Parent’s Guide To Cord Blood Foundation, the company has issued 100 cord blood therapies and is the first to disclose a successful transplant using placenta-derived stem cells.
Noteworthy Features:
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Our gift registry offers a great way to share costs with friends and family. All you have to do is ask and they’ll provide the funds you need.
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Has a donation program
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Features a placental stem cell storage option
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AABB accredited
3. Alphacord
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Annual storage fee
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$150
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Extra services offered
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Cord blood tissue, placenta stem cells
AlphaCord has some of the most affordable cord blood storage prices, and is presently offering a promotional collection charge of $675, which is a decrease off its already low $995 rate. AlphaCord offers packaged programs for parents who want to keep cord blood tissue and placenta-derived stem cells in addition to cord blood. It also provides a five-chamber bag for $59 that is designed to preserve extra stem cells for future usage. Cryopoint Biorepository in Brownsburg, Indiana, provides lab services to AlphaCord.
Noteworthy Features:
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When your stem cells stored as stem cells in cord blood fail to engraft, you’re eligible for up to $85,000 of funds towards acquiring a new source of matching cells.
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Offers placenta tissue banking
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Accredited by the AABB and the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB)
4. Cryocyte
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Annual storage fee
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$115
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Extra services offered
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Cord blood tissue
Cryocyte, a subsidiary of Cryopoint, a company that provides a variety of cryopreservation services, has been processing cord blood since 2004 and offers affordable cord blood storage in Brownsburg, Indiana. Its cord blood storage services include plans ranging from one year to twenty years, as well as the option of storing only cord blood or cord blood tissue. The cost of processing cord blood starts at $849, with a $115 annual storage fee. It also has six-month and eight-month payment plans available.
Noteworthy Features:
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No release fee
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Accredited by the AABB
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Has released five cord blood units for therapy
5. HealthBanks Biotech USA
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Annual storage fee
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$150
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Extra services offered
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Cord blood, cord tissue, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), immune cell banking, genetic testing
HealthBanks (previously Pacificord) offers a variety of plans along with its cord blood banking services, including premium storage and processing systems, immune cell banking for parents, and genetic testing services, for parents searching for options. HealthBanks charges a lower initial collection fee than the other banks on this list for merely cord blood banking on its Bronze plan, but then charges a $19.99 monthly fee after that. Years of storage at the company’s lab in Irvine, California, cost $150 per year after that.
Noteworthy Features:
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You get $50,000 back if cord blood doesn’t work as promised
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If you cancel your registration before the blood has been processed, then there is no cancellation fee. You may also get your initial setup fee back if we are not able to match your baby’s tissue type.
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Offers immune cell banking services for adults
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AABB accredited
Stem Cell Treatment and Cord Blood Banking – Is It a Good Idea?
Cord blood banking is the process of collecting and storing the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after childbirth. This blood is rich in stem cells, which are immature cells that can develop into various types of cells including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Cord blood has been used to treat many different diseases like leukemia and sickle cell anemia.
The use of cord blood for medical purposes is not a new idea. The first successful cord-blood transplant was done in 1988 by Dr. E. Donnall Thomas using bone marrow from a sibling donor. He achieved success with a patient who had Fanconi’s anemia, a rare genetic disorder that causes bone marrow failure and makes it difficult for the body to produce red or white blood cells or platelets.’
Cord Blood Banking & Stem Cell Treatment – What’s the Difference?
Cord blood banking is a service that stores the baby’s umbilical cord blood for use in the future, most often for a sibling or family member. The stored cord blood can be used to treat many diseases, including leukemia and some metabolic disorders.
Stem cell treatment is a procedure that replaces diseased or damaged cells with healthy ones. Stem cells are immature cells that have not yet become specialized. They can turn into other types of cells, such as bone, muscle and nerve cells. These treatments are being researched to help people with leukemia, some types of anemia and other diseases.
What to Look for in a Cord Blood Banks and Their Pricing Strategies- Is it Expensive?
Cord blood banking is not a new concept. It has been around for a long time and it is still gaining popularity in the world. The cord blood banking industry has grown exponentially over the past few years and it is now considered to be a $2 billion industry.
The cost of cord blood banking varies depending on the company you are choosing, but on average, it costs between $1,000 and $2,000 for an annual storage fee.
There are also other factors that will affect the cost of storage:
– The type of cord blood bank you choose
– The number of years you store your baby’s cord blood
– Whether or not you get additional services from your bank
What is the Cost to Store Cord Blood?
A cord blood bank is a facility that stores umbilical cord blood for potential future use by the donor or his/her family.
The cost of storing cord blood varies depending on what type of storage and service you choose. Cord blood banking is not cheap, but it can be worth the cost if you are able to use it in the future.
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Cord Blood Treatment?
Cord blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after childbirth. It is rich in stem cells, which can be used to treat a range of diseases.
The advantages of cord blood treatment are that it’s an autologous transplant and it has a low risk of rejection. This means that there’s an increased chance that the patient will not need to take immune-suppressing drugs after their transplant. Cord blood treatments are also less likely than bone marrow transplants to cause graft versus host disease and they don’t require a lifetime of follow-up treatments like bone marrow transplants do.
The disadvantages of cord blood treatment are that it can be costly for patients, there is still no cure for many diseases, and some people might not have access to a qualified practitioner who will collect and store cord blood.
How to Choose a Cord Blood Bank
There are public (free) and private (fee-based) cord blood banks that can save and store a newborn’s cord blood for years. Parents can pick any type of bank to save and store their newborn’s umbilical cord blood, depending on their family’s health needs and personal preferences.
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Public: Mariam Naqvi, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, thinks that “a public blood bank serves everyone.” “Like blood banks, public cord blood banks rely on parents who choose to donate their baby’s cord blood so that anyone who needs stem cells to cure specific disorders can receive them at no cost to the contributing parents.” State or other donations are often used to establish public cord blood banks.” Check with your OB-GYN to see if your hospital works with a specific public cord blood bank, or go to Be the Match to find one near you.
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Private: The stem cells in your baby’s cord blood will be stored only for use by your family if you opt for cord blood preservation with a private bank. Because it has the same mutations that cause the disease, a patient’s own cord blood cannot be used to treat many diseases; however, stem cells from a patient’s cord blood can be utilized to treat a sibling who may have these disorders. You pay a private company to keep your cord blood safe. “If the baby’s sibling has a recognized condition that can be cured by a stem cell transplant, it may be used,” Dr. Naqvi explains. “If we know about it ahead of time, cord blood banking would be a good idea for that family.” When you donate your baby’s umbilical cord blood, you are helping patients all over the world build their life-saving transplantations. Contact your local hospital to learn about different options for donating.
Pricing, services available (some banks, for example, offer genetic counseling), quality control mechanisms in place, and discounts are all things to consider if you decide to go the private cord blood banking route. According to Dr. Naqvi, some private banks may offer a discount to a family with a child or sibling who has an illness that can be treated with cord blood.
However, the Food and Drug Administration cautioned against making exaggerated claims. Don’t be fooled by claims that cord blood is a cure-all for all ailments. Indeed, the American Academy of Pediatrics currently does not endorse private cord blood banking since it is underutilized, lacks sufficient regulatory monitoring, is costly, and may be of lower quality than cord blood held in public banks. Instead, it advises public cord blood banking as the preferred method of cord blood storage, stating that “private cord blood banking has a more limited role in families with a known terminal condition that can be rescued by a healthy cord blood transplant within the family.”
Should I Store My Baby’s Cord Blood?
“It’s an emotional decision to do something that could save your child’s life many years down the road,” Dr. Naqvi explains. “Parents want to do anything they can to help their children.”
Still, unless the family has a known medical issue that may be addressed with stem cell transplantation (such as a blood disorder), the chances of the cord blood being used are small. And the price tag is hefty. “One thing I tell my patients is that having children is quite costly. Cord blood banking for autologous transplantation [usage for the infant] is an expense for which there is now little evidence of benefit.”
“However, the other costs will not disappear,” she continues. “The decision is easier if you have the financial capacity to pay for private cord blood banking. It’s difficult for other patients, especially when it’s presented as potentially lifesaving.”
If you have any questions about how banking your baby’s cord blood might work for your family, talk to your OB-GYN, who is knowledgeable with cord blood banking and knows your unique health history.
The Debate on Private vs Public Storage of Umbilical Cord Stem Cells
Public storage of umbilical cord stem cells is the most common form of storage in the United States. Private storage is a more expensive option, but it has its benefits. Private storage gives parents peace of mind, knowing that their baby’s cord blood will be available to them if needed.
The debate on private vs public storage of umbilical cord stem cells is an important one for parents. They need to know what their options are and how they can best protect their child’s future health needs.
is cord blood banking worth it 2023?
Most people with healthy pregnancies will never need to use their cord blood, but it can be useful in certain situations. Cord blood banking is an additional expense that isn’t covered by insurance, so you’ll need to consider the costs and benefits before deciding whether or not to bank your baby’s cord blood.
Cord blood banking pros and cons
The pros and cons of cord blood banking are hotly debated. Some people believe that it is a waste of money since not all cells within the cord blood are viable and those that are will be rejected by the recipient’s body. Others claim that cord blood has the potential to help save lives if needed in the future.