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Cord blood is the blood in the newborn baby’s umbilical cord which has the potential lifesaving cells referred to as stem cells. These stem cells different from the embryonic stem cells; can grow into blood vessels, organs, and tissues. Cord blood banking comprises of collecting the blood left in the newborn’s umbilical cord and placenta during the time of birth and preserving it for a future medical purpose like medical transplants. When compared to other stem cell sources, cord blood is usually treated as the safest option. As of now, over 80 diseases are healable using stem cells from cord blood, with more treatments coming up every year. The FDA has approved cord blood therapies to treat dozens of diseases like leukemia, aplastic anemia, and other critical, deadly diseases.
Cord blood bank is a facility that stores the umbilical cord as long as needed. As cord blood banking has represented the potential to treat diseases of the blood and immune system, both private and public cord blood banks have been evolved. Parents can either donate baby’s cord blood to a public cord blood bank for anyone who needs it or they can pay to store their baby’s cord blood in a private cord blood bank for their family’s use. However, one should follow the cord blood registry procedure for the same. There are various pros and cons of cord blood banking.
List of top cord blood banking companies in the USA
1. Cord Blood Registry (https://www.cordblood.com/)
CBR is the biggest and most credible cord blood bank in the United States and worldwide with a history of more than two decades. It was founded in 1992 by Wendy Grant and Tom Moore. It has also had an established history of AABB accreditation. It is located in San Bruno, California, USA, Cord Blood Registry and is the only company in the region with its own storage facility. Annual storage cost starts from $150 in CBR.
2. Americord (https://www.americordblood.com/)
Americord is the only company that offers Cord Blood a technology that collects up to twice as many stem cells as the industry regularly does. It was founded in 2008 Martin Smithmyer, a biologist, an MBA with an expertise the medical industry, located in New York City and is among the fastest growing cord blood bank companies in the world. In comparison to other companies, Americord has considerably lesser costs for collection and 20 years of storage and zero cancellation fees. For cord blood 2.0 – 20 years of storage included it will cost $2,999.
3. Cryo-Cell (https://www.cryo-cell.com/)
Cryo-Cell is the third largest cord blood bank in the world and is the first private cord blood bank to separate and store stem cells in 1992. It was founded by Dan Richard in 1989 and located in Oldsmar, Florida, USA, This Company uses heparin free bags to transport cord tissues in order to add protection from allergic reactions. The pricing starts from approx $4599 for 21 years of storage.
4. ViaCord (https://www.viacord.com/)
ViaCord has been successfully banking cord blood stem cells for more than 20 years, founded in 1993 by Cynthia Fisher. It is the second largest cord blood bank in the world and has stored more than 360,000 cord blood and cord tissue units. It is located in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. In ViaCord, 20 years of pre-paid annual storage is $2765 and other payment plans are available too.
5. FamilyCord (https://www.familycord.com/)
Located in Los Angeles, FamilyCord is a part of California Cryobank which is one of the nation’s dominant sperm banks and an issuer of cryogenic services for over 35 years. This company is running successfully for 15 years, was founded in 1977 by two physicians, Dr. Cappy Rothman and Dr. Charles Sims. For a 30-year prepaid storage, it will cost around $3000. This company is operated by nationally renowned physicians, along with a stem cell transplant physician. It is also guided by the amazing scientific expertise and medical conduct in whatever duties that they perform.
6. LifebankUSA (https://www.lifebankusa.com/)
LifebankUSA was established in 1998, it is one of the largest stem cell banks in the United States. They have their own storage facility at the company headquarters in Cedar Knolls, New Jersey.
LifebankUSA is the only cord blood banking company that provides the option to increase the number of stem cells banked by collecting blood and tissue from the placenta including the umbilical cord. The one-time payment for cord blood storage starts from $1,550 approximately.
7. Carolinas Cord Blood Bank (https://sites.duke.edu/ccbb/)
Carolinas Cord Blood Bank at Duke is a non-profitable organization, they collect donations at selected hospitals in North Carolina and a few out of state as well. For mothers who deliver at staffed collection sites, pre-registration is not required. Carolinas They just save those collections which comprise of over one billion mononuclear cells, this is to ensure that bank resources are only used to process and store collections which have a more potential of being used for transplant. CCBB is located in Durham.
8. StemCyte (https://www.stemcyte.com/)
Based in Baldwin Park, CA, StemCyte is a global cord blood banking company. The StemCyte laboratory located in Southern California gives both public donation and family. As of until August 2008, StemCyte’s California laboratory had 800cord blood transplants and by December 2015, they had shipped over 2000cord blood units to about 315 transplant centers. The cost for 1st-year storage is approximate $1395 which includes shipping and cord blood processing.
9. Genecord (https://genecord.com/)
Running successfully for last 30 years, GeneCord provides cord blood collection and storage facility located in Augusta, GA. They are experts in cryogenic storage and are labeled as one of the world’s first cryobanks. It would cost $2595 for a 20-year storage which includes enrollment, courier, and processing fee as well. They provide discounts for military personnel and families.
10. AplhaCord (https://www.alphacord.com/)
AlphaCord has been working for more than 10 years in preserving important cells for newborn babies. The Company’s headquarter is located in Atlanta, GA and they provide both cord blood banking and cord tissue storage. For 18 years storage of cord blood and tissue is cost around $2995. They also provide an option to save cord tissue along with or without cord blood.
If you are getting confused, there are various ways to compare cord blood banks.
If you want cheaper options out of United States, you can check out the list of Cord Blood Banks in India.
