Cells for Life –
Hope Close to Home
Cells for Life, a private York Region cord blood bank, offers hope close to home. Operating out of Markham-Stouffville Health Centre, Cells for Life is Canada’s second largest private cord blood bank. Founded by Markham Fertility Centre medical director Dr. Michael Virro, Cells for Life offers a complete cord blood program, from collection to storage. Cells for Life’s highly trained staff is headed by Dr. Peter Hollands, a Cambridge University researcher and clinical embryologist who was part of the team which produced Louise, the world’s first test tube baby.
While Cells For Life is a private company, their mission is to provide life-saving cord blood services at the lowest possible cost to families. Most private cord blood banks are run like any other business, with profit as the primary objective. The cost of using a profit-focused cord blood bank can escalate quickly, explains Dr. Hollands. “While some of them appear to have lower fees, the costs of procedures like laboratory tests involve an extra charge. It starts to add up and they end up charging a lot more than us. We process and store the sample in a professional, efficient way for a set fee.”
Stories like Patrizia Durante’s have helped to get the message out about umbilical cord blood, but most people don’t know what these stem cells do or how the process works. Cord blood stems cells may be the medical therapy of the future, right now. The potential for stem cell therapies has already begun to fulfill its promise.
Blood remaining in the placenta and umbilical cord after birth is rich with the baby’s stem cells, which are the building blocks of bone marrow and form the cells of the blood and immune system. Once collected, the stem cells from the placenta and umbilical cord are isolated, then mixed with a protective chemical that allows the cells to be safely frozen in liquid nitrogen for storage. These carefully frozen cells have been successfully transplanted into patients after 15 years of storage, and it’s anticipated they could survive for 50 or 60 years if stored correctly.
The cord blood stem cells are effective in treating conditions such as leukemia, sickle cell anemia and other life-threatening blood and immune disorders. Patients whose immune systems have been compromised after radiation and chemotherapy benefit enormously from these stem cells, which help them rebuild healthy bone marrow. Since 1988, more than 3,500 cord blood transplants have been performed worldwide to treat 45 different diseases, and research continues into potential treatments that could be developed for cord blood stem cells.
One of the remarkable aspects of cord blood stem cells is that, unlike bone marrow stem cells, a perfect match is not required for transplantation. A fifty percent match is adequate for cord blood transplantation, making its potential as a life-saving therapy enormous. This is particularly exciting for children of mixed ethnic parentage, where finding a perfect bone marrow match is extremely difficult.
These stem cells come from tissues that would normally be destroyed after childbirth, eliminating the ethical, religious and political controversies that surround human embryo stem cell research. And the procedure for acquiring cord blood is straightforward and low-cost. Collection of the cord blood immediately following the delivery of a baby is performed quickly by a qualified professional, with no discomfort to mother or child. There’s really no downside.
Access to Everyone – The Victoria Registry of Hope
At present, it is estimated that 1% of parents in North America store their child’s cord blood at birth. The rest goes into the incinerator. Programs are needed to increase awareness of this issue, and make cord blood therapies available to the public.
Driven by the necessity to get Canada moving forward on this issue, members of the Cells for Life team decided to establish a publicly accessible cord blood program based on donated cord blood. Moved by Patrizia Durante’s story, Cells For Life owner Dr. Virro has named their public division The Victoria Angel Registry of Hope. Cells for Life staff have volunteered their time and Cells for Life has used some of its profits to pay for the processing and storage of donated umbilical cord blood. They have already started the program, and have samples ready for use. Their hope is that families who choose not to privately store cord blood will donate it, at no cost to themselves, to the Victoria Angel Registry, where another family in need might benefit from it. Until the provincial and federal governments get on board to establish this kind of program for Canadians, the Victoria Registry of Hope will be a lifeline for many families.
Public awareness is a priority to make cord blood programs available to all Canadians. Government, doctors and citizens all have to get on-board to make this life-saving science a practical alternative for everyone. Families expecting a new baby should be proactive about asking about cord blood programs, even if their doctors haven’t mentioned it. This isn’t science fiction. Facilities like Cells for Life are working right now to give families an option that could change, or save, their lives.
For More Information:
www.cellsforlife.com
Cells For Life, Markham Stouffville Health Centre
905.472.0060
Toll Free: 1.877.235.1997
2600 John Street, Unit 207, Markham, ON L3R 3W3 T: 905.475.5222 F: 905.475.6369
