about cbr

Online Media Kit

Giving Families Hope
for Longer Healthier Lives

By banking your baby's stem cells, your child and family can have access to better options for medical treatments or cures for cancers, as well as possible future treatments for conditions such as heart disease, juvenile diabetes, and brain injury.

"Diversity of Stem Cells Animation"
Stem cells from the umbilical cord and cord blood have distinct benefits compared to adult stem cells from bone marrow.

Doheney Family

"Brain Animation"
Nearly 1.4 million people in the U.S. sustain a serious form of brain injury called traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year.

Physicians Talk About Newborn Stem Cells

Newborn Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
"Certainly there's evidence that stem cells derived from the hematopoietic system, [cord blood] can differentiate into perhaps heart muscle, brain cells, and blood vessel cells"…
--Douglas Taylor, M.D. director, pediatric stem cell transplant program, U.C. Davis, CA

"Research has been clear and convincing in animal models that newborn stem cells offer a therapeutic benefit in neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and Alzheimer's as well as in conditions such as head trauma, spinal cord injury, heart disease and even diabetes."
--Diana Hoppe, M.D. FA.O.G. OB/GYN, San Diego, CA, O.B. Spotlight Feb. 2005

"The possibility to regenerate and to restore function of the heart and myocardial infarction with stem cell transplantation holds great promise for treating heart failure."
--David Stern, M.D. Dean of the Medical College of Georgia, University of Florida press release, Jan. 2005

.............................................................................

About Related Transplants
"There is no question that with a related donor, the [cord blood] transplant is much smoother thing with a lower fatality rate."
--Michael Graham, M.D. director of pediatric bone-marrow transplantation at University Medical Center, Tucson, AZ, Arizona Daily Star, July 2004.

"The best source of stem cells when someone needs a transplant is a brother or a sister. They're going to be genetically the closest and the most readily available."
--Joel Weinthal, M.D. transplant physician, Dallas, TX

"In a public system, the odds you will recover your own family's stem cells for transplant are nil. Therefore, related transplants, which are clearly ideal for current stem cell therapies and emerging regenerative medicine applications will only be an option for families with privately banked samples."
--Diana Hoppe, M.D. FA.O.G. OB/GYN, San Diego, CA, O.B. Spotlight, Feb. 2005

"I would beg, borrow, or steal if I could have my own teenagers' newborn stem cells. If a family member ever needs a transplant, using genetically related stem cells offers the best chance of being cured."
--Jeffrey Thurston, M.D. OB/GYN, Ft. Worth Texas, Star Telegram, May 2005

.............................................................................

Why Families Bank Cord Blood
"Although at the present time there is a definite benefit to certain families with a history of hematologic disease, the future potential to utilize these stem cells for common conditions is phenomenal."
--Diana Hoppe, M.D. FA.O.G. OB/GYN, San Diego, CA, O.B. Spotlight Feb.2005

"There's no doubt that cord blood banking is useful for people who have no family history of genetic illnesses or malignant disorders. I think the uses for cord blood will be expanding throughout the decades as more research comes to fruition."
--Carol Kornmehl, M.D. Ridgewood, New Jersey, radiation oncologist and mother

"Just a few years ago, umbilical cord blood stem cells were virtually the last defense in many disorders. Now it's the front line defense in many disorders." --David Rosen, M.D., Wichita, Kansas, pediatric hematology, The Wichita Eagle Sept. 2004

"Embryonic stem cells have too many limitations including immune rejection and the potential to ever achieve acceptance in our lifetime. By that time, umbilical cord blood stem cells will be a true gift from the gods."
--Dr. Roger Markwald, Professor and Chair for the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the Medical University of South Carolina, Business Wire, May 2004

Banking cord blood does not guarantee that the cells will provide a cure or be applicable for every situation. For inherited genetic conditions, the child will not be able to use his or her own stem cells. A matched sibling's stem cells would be the first choice. Ultimate use will be determined by the treating physician. Treatment for brain injury and juvenile diabetes is experimental and currently requires the use of your own cord blood. Medical treatments using family banked cord tissue are in early research and are not available today; there is no guarantee that therapies will be developed in the future.
Share this page with family and friends: