Have you ever wondered what happens to the cord blood after collection? You enrol for cord blood banking, and an agent comes to the hospital to collect your sample, but what happens after that?
You enrolled for stem cell banking after learning about its amazing life-saving potential. But you should also know what actually happens after the collection bag is sealed and handed over. The journey from the delivery room to the long-term storage facility is a very carefully planned process. Understanding this process in detail will give you greater confidence in securing your baby’s future health via stem cell banking.
Here is a clear, step-by-step breakdown of exactly what happens to your baby’s cord blood after it is collected.
Step 1: Collection at the Hospital
The collection process begins right after the delivery of your baby. Once the baby is born, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. Next, a trained healthcare professional uses a sterile needle to draw the remaining blood from the cord into a specialised collection bag. The quantity drawn is approximately 60-300 ml.
This entire process is absolutely painless for both the mother and the child, as the sample is collected after the cord has already been cut. Moreover, the process takes only a few minutes. At the same time, a maternal blood sample is also drawn and tested for infectious diseases. These samples are then carefully labelled, sealed and packed into a sterile collection kit that is temperature-controlled.
Step 2: Safe Transportation to the Processing Lab
Once the samples are collected, the kit should be transported from the hospital to the cord blood bank’s processing unit as quickly as possible. The kit is designed in such a way that it can maintain the integrity of the sample during transit, i.e., it can withstand temperature changes, is puncture-proof and tamper-resistant.
Processing of the sample and storage should be done within 48 hours of collection to ensure maximum cell viability and recovery. Any delay beyond this timeline can damage the cells and significantly reduce the number of usable cells.
Step 3: Pre-Storage Testing
Once the sample arrives at the lab, it undergoes a thorough quality check. It is tested for any possible infections before processing begins. It is tested for:
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Cellular health check – assessing viability and stem cell count
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Microbial contamination screening
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Infectious agent screening
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Blood grouping and typing
Only the samples that pass these criteria are moved on to the next stage of storage. This pre-screening process ensures that the stored stem cells are medically safe and usable when needed.
Step 4: Processing the Stem Cells
Processing of stem cells means extracting the stem cells from the collected cord blood sample. The goal is to isolate the viable haematopoietic stem cells from the cord blood sample and reduce the red blood cells (RBC) contamination. If the RBCs are left to remain along with the viable cells, the risk of rejection during transplantation increases, and it also adds to the recovery time.
Step 5: Cryopreservation
Cryopreservation is the process of freezing the processed stem cells for long-term storage. The sample is placed into cryo-bags and is cryopreserved at -196°C in liquid nitrogen inside stainless steel cryo tanks. At this temperature, the biological activity stops, and the stored cells can remain viable for decades.
Step 6: Monitoring & Storage Safety
Once stored, the samples are not just frozen and forgotten. Reputable banks monitor their cryostorage facilities round-the-clock, including the temperature, power backup, protection against natural calamities and security surveillance. Some banks also offer dual-site storage to add an extra layer of protection.
Pre-Release Testing of a Required Sample
In case a stored unit is ever required for a transplant, it undergoes a final round of pre-release testing to ensure its viability. This includes HLA typing – a process in which the stored stem cells are matched to the patient’s immune profile. Once the sample passes all tests, it is released and shipped at no additional cost to the hospital where the treatment is happening.
Choosing the Right Stem Cell Storage Bank
Choosing the right stem cell bank matters more than you think! Although the steps mentioned above seem straightforward, not all banks follow a stringent quality control, including the processing technology used, the speed of shipment and the pre-screening protocols. This process is all about right timing, quality of the storage infrastructure and rigorous testing, which is why it is very crucial that you choose only the best bank for storing your baby’s stem cells.
LifeCell – India’s largest Community Stem Cell Bank, follows the above cord blood storage steps with internationally acclaimed standards. It is accredited with AABB, NABL, CAP, WHO and FDA certifications. Moreover, LifeCell is the only Stem Cell Bank in India to offer Community banking services, i.e., your baby’s stored cells are added to a shared pool of more than 85,000 qualified cord blood units, giving your family access to a larger repository and >97% chance of finding a matching donor unit if the need ever arises. This helps in extending protection to not only your baby, but parents, grandparents, spouse and siblings as well.