Since New Zealand was named the safest country in the world by the international Global Peace Index (GPI) in June, calls from expectant parents in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the US have risen dramatically.

“We’ve had emails and calls from families in Denmark, Qatar, Singapore and Malaysia who have decided that whilst they will give birth locally, they want to have their baby’s cord blood stored in New Zealand,” says Kate Carter, CordBank NZ’s Director of Customer Services.

“These parents recognise that New Zealand is free from political unrest and is renowned for its peaceful way of life making it an attractive place to store their child’s cord blood now – knowing it will be safe into the future. They want peace of mind and to be confident that their child’s cord blood won’t be compromised by national, economic or social conflict.”

Carter said that as there is a 32 hour ”window” between the collection of cord blood at birth and its processing at CordBank in Auckland, “we can pick it up from almost anywhere within that time frame.”

To arrange to have your newborn’s cord blood stored in the safest country in the world email CordBank New Zealand at info@cordbank.co.nz or phone CordBank on +64 9 302 9511.

When 9-year-old Barrett Ross was born, his parents chose to save the blood from his umbilical cord – ignoring the genetic counselor who told them there was no need for the expense. There was nothing in the family’s background to indicate potential disease for the newborn, the counselor told the new parents. (Uninformed advice that many New Zealand families who ask about banking their cord blood with CordBank still hear from local doctors)

But Christine Ross, the boy’s mother, was thinking ahead. She thought by 2038, when her baby was 40, medical science surely would have use for the precious blood and its valuable stem cells if he were to develop cancer or another disease. Click here to read the Ross family story http://diabetes.ufl.edu/2009/07/24/stored-cord-blood-may-help-children-fight-diabetes/

Over $938 million was invested in using cord blood stem cells to treat a whole host of illnesses and conditions in the US last year.

Researchers are confident that these non-controversial stem cells will make a significant difference to the way that diseases and illnesses are treated in the future. Current research shows that stem cells may play a part in the treatment of degenerative diseases and conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, Muscular Dystrophy, Alzheimers, strokes, heart and liver disease. Thousands of New Zealand parents have recognised this once in a lifetime opportunity and have chosen to bank their baby’s cord blood with CordBank giving their children the chance to benefit should they face these diseases in later life.

A leading stem cell biologist has urged Irish parents who are refused the right to collect their babies’ umbilical cord blood for storage as future medical use, to sue the hospitals if their children later develop diseases such as cerebral palsy, stroke, and type 1 diabetes which can be treated with cord blood.

Professor Colin McGuckin says Ireland was being “left way behind the rest of Europe and the world” and that storing cord blood as a potential future source of therapeutic stem cells for the new baby, whilst not a guaranteed cure, could be “hugely beneficial”.

According to Medicare Health and Living Ltd, the only company in Ireland currently registered to provide private cord blood procurement services, three public hospitals prevented parents from harvesting cord blood between last July and March.

The argument for storing cord blood is that a precise tissue match would be perfect for future stem cell treatments of the child from whom the sample is taken.

Irish politician and solicitor Alan Shatter (Fine Gael Deputy) said that the Health Service Executive warned there could be a legal liability if the HSE and public hospitals prevented patients from undergoing the process.

At CordBank we appreciate it when you share your knowledge about the benefits of cord blood banking with friends and family. So every time you refer a friend or family member, who then registers to have their baby’s cord blood collected, you’ll both receive a $50 Farmers gift voucher for free. (Your friend or family member must be pregnant in order to be eligible for either of you to receive the voucher.)

Just include your details and your friends details at www.cordbank.co.nz/cordbank-new-zealand/refer-a-friend/ and we’ll make sure they get an information pack about cord blood banking. Make sure you ask your friend or family first. When they register with us we’ll know who to send the gift vouchers to. Full terms and conditions are on the website.

Expectant parents need to know more about cord blood benefits.

The founder of an international website dedicated to cord blood awareness has called for more education amongst expectant parents about cord blood banking, and launched a new information brochure to help spread knowledge.

“I want all women to understand why cord blood must be preserved and that discarding it as medical waste should be a last resort option,” said Frances Verter, who launched the Parents Guide to Cord Blood Banking in 1998 in memory of her daughter Shai who died from leukemia.

“Stem cells from umbilical cord blood are a medical resource that is increasingly being used to save lives, and our new brochure is designed to ensure that more pregnant women have the opportunity to consider saving cord blood from their newborn for family use or donate cord blood to others who may have a critical medical need.” (There is no public cord blood bank in New Zealand).

Verter said 74% of parents surveyed in the US reported that their knowledge on cord blood banking was “miminal”.

That’s despite recommendations from the US Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences that all prospective parents should be educated about cord blood stem cells early enough in the pregnancy, so that they can make an informed decision with regards to preserving these precious stem cells for future medical benefit.

The brochure has been reviewed and approved by a scientific and medical advisory board of physicians and researchers, and follows the direction of the Institute of Medicine. It can be downloaded without charge from the homepage of the foundation: ParentsGuideCordBlood.org. Click here to view the brochure http://www.parentsguidecordblood.org/PGCBfoundation_brochure.pdf

The launch of this booklet expands the educational mission of the Foundation beyond the internet to childbirth classes, doctor’s offices and beyond. To date, 16 states have passed legislation to improve the education provided on cord blood during pregnancy, and encourage doctors to take an active role in educating future parents about the options for collecting cord blood.

Umbilical cord blood:

The blood that remains in the newborn’s umbilical cord immediately after birth contains a diverse population of stem cells that have different features and benefits compared with other sources of stem cells. Since blood cord stem cells are immunologically younger than other “adult” stem cell sources, they show greater versatility and flexibility when used in transplantation. In addition, cord blood stem cells have shown the ability to proliferate and develop into all major cell types in the body.

For over 20 years, stem cells from umbilical cord blood have been used in transplantation to cure patients with cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma and blood diseases and immune disorders.

Birth is the only opportunity where parents can collect and bank their child’s cord blood for future medical use or donate it to a public bank.

The mission of the Parents Guide to Cord Blood (PGCB) Foundation is to provide parents with impartial education about medical research and cord blood storage options, and to conduct and publish analysis statistics on medical research or policy developments which could expand the probability that the use of umbilical cord blood.

The second stage of an innovative trial using cord blood to treat children with Type 1 diabetes is now underway at the University of Florida College of Medicine. In this phase 2 study the investigators are trying to see if a single intravenous infusion of autologous (self) cord blood cells followed by 1 year of daily vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acid supplementation can preserve beta cell function (prolong “honeymoon”) in children with type 1 diabetes.

All subjects will continue to use insulin therapy as needed to maintain the best possible glucose control. 15 Subjects will be randomized such that 2 of every 3 (10 total) will receive cord blood plus vitamin D and Omega 3 while 1 of 3 (5 total) will serve as controls and will not receive cord blood, vitamin D, or Omega 3 supplementation. The study will involve 5 visits over 1 year to the University of Florida.
This study is a follow-up to the initial study of cord blood infusion alone in which 23 children received autologous cord blood. The initial study was 100% safe but additional studies like the one described above are needed to determine how to improve cord blood based therapy. The trial is due to completed in March.
Click here to listen to the interview with Doctor Desmond Schatz from the University of Florida about the trial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs–kFd8AMQ and to read more about the details of the clinical trial, click here http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00873925

Expectant parents can now sign up with CordBank for $750.00 and receive their baby’s special cord blood collection kit within 3 working days. Families with one or more children registered with CordBank can get their collection kit for the discounted sibling rate of $550.00.  Parents (or grandparents)  can choose to pay the $2,000 balance,  which covers the medical testing, processing and 1st year’s storage fees for their child or grandchild’s cordblood, over 6 or 12 months.  An annual storage fee of $200.00 applies after your baby’s first birthday. It’s never been more affordable to take advantage of this once in a lifetime chance to save your newborn’s  precious cord blood stem cells.

The parents of Maia Friedlander, the first NZ child treated with her own cord blood after suffering brain damage at birth, have told local media that her progress has been nothing short of remarkable. In an interview with the Herald on Sunday earlier this month, Maia’s father, Daniel Friedlander said recent independent educational and occupational testing showed she was now functioning at the level of a normal child aged 3 to 5 years old. Daniel said testing carried out before she had her cord blood reinfused, almost 12 months ago, showed she was not on the educational scale (ie unable to be tested as she was not responding to any of the questions or activities set)Daniel said Maia will start school in 2010 – when she is 6 – joining her twin sister.  To view Maia’s Cord Bllod Miracle – which tells the story of her parents search for treatment and the life changing results achieved after her cord blood reinfusion go to : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4h36hNjdik for Part 1 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK4JfyP3KwY to view Part 2. Free copies of the DVD are also available by emailing info@cordbank.co.nz