(Courtesy of Maze Cord Blood) With ongoing success using stem cells to treat a variety of diseases, and clinical trials under way for Tay-Sachs, autism and many other diseases, it is clearly beneficial to save your baby’s stem cells. The question parents are faced with now is, should we store with a private cord blood bank or donate to a public bank?

Both private and public cord blood banks serve a very useful purpose, and it’s important to make an informed decision that will suit your family’s needs. We’ll help you make the best decision possible by highlighting the differences between public and private banks.

Private Cord Blood Banking

• Who owns the stem cells? Your baby’s stem cells are yours, and only you can decide how and when they are used.
• Cost to retrieve cells for transplant: Most private cord blood banks do not charge to retrieve stem cells.
• Likelihood of Matching: Your baby is a 100 percent genetic match to his/her cord blood stem cells. Siblings of the same biological parents have a 25 percent chance of being a perfect match, and a 50 percent chance of being a partial match. Biological parents are always a partial match.
• Success rates: The success rates double when using related cord blood for transplants. It also significantly lowers the chance of graft vs. host disease (GVHD) when using stem cells from a related donor.
• Future Uses: Numerous clinical trials are under way for the potential treatment of Tay-Sachs, autism, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, spinal cord damage and a vast number of other serious conditions.
• Who can’t bank? The only time cord blood isn’t allowed to be privately banked is if the biological mother is HIV positive.

Public Cord Blood Banking

• Who owns the stem cells? When banking publically, you give up ownership to the cells as soon as you donate them. There is no guarantee you’ll be able to find/use the donated stem cells if needed.
• Cost to retrieve cells for transplant: The current average cost to retrieve stem cells is $35,000.
• Success Rates: Severe GVHD is common. It is estimated to occur in 60 percent to 80 percent of transplants where the donor and recipient are not related.
• High Breakage Rate: Fifty to seventy-five percent of cord blood donations are discarded for failing to meet storage and processing specifications.
• Lower Accessibility: Not all medical facilities work with public cord blood banks, so depending on where you give birth, it may not be possible to donate to a public cord blood bank.
• Who can’t bank? Mothers are not allowed to donate cord blood if it’s a multiple birth (such as twins); the baby is born prematurely; the baby’s mother, father or siblings have had any type of cancer; the mother has diabetes and takes insulin; or the mother has lived in a part of the world where it’s more common to contract certain diseases that are carried in the blood.

With more control, higher success rates and a seamless process, private cord blood banking is appealing to many families. Finding a cord blood bank that’s local and understands the preferences of the Jewish community is extremely important as well. Learn more about why more local families are choosing to privately bank their baby’s stem cells at www.MazeHealthyFuture.com.

Maze Cord Blood is one of the lowest-priced options among all FDA-approved and AABB-accredited cord blood banks with no annual fees and a $50K Quality Product Guarantee. Maze Cord Blood is currently offering a $400 discount on their cord blood banking services. Visit www.MazeHealthyFuture.com or call 914-488-0057 to learn more about their services.