Is it legal to freeze the umbilical cord stem cells?
Until two decades ago, it was only possible to treat some diseases, cancer type, dysfunction in the blood or severed spinal marrow through a donor compatible with the patient, which was difficult and fruitless in most cases because a person is only compatible with 0.01% of the population and not offered alternative medicine in this field.
A breakthrough in medicine has been the development of research in the field of stem cells and numerous applications that have been carried out.
What are stem cells?
are those cells that can become many different cells in the body and which function as repair cells in areas that may be damaged. This opens up great possibilities in medicine for the treatment of diseases hitherto had a nonexistent treatment.
No risk to the mother or baby
One of the main sources of stem cells is umbilical cord of the newborn. Besides, it is a simple process and offers a broader range of receptors, for example, obtain the donor bone marrow which entails a more expensive surgical procedure.
Advantages of umbilical cord stem cells
- They can turn into different types of cells and repair other organs: lungs, stomach, heart, etc.
- No risk to the mother or baby.
- They can be kept for a period of time very high.
- Your support is higher with the donor's relatives other stem cells extracted from bone marrow.
- Allows treat more diseases.
What the Law of using stem cells extracted from the umbilical cord of newborn say?
Each country has specific regulations on the use, donation and conservation of stem cells. For example, Italy totally prohibited. Currently, the Spanish Act provides that use in the donation and use of human embryos and fetuses or their cells, tissues or organs.
Woman giving birth
The law currently regulates the freezing of stem cells is the 1988 Act of donation and use of human embryos and fetuses or their cells, tissues or organs. It does not explicitly prohibit the donation and collection of stem cells, but only enabled the Spanish land grant in public schools, although the subsequent preservation can be performed in a private facility.
These centers are not found in all the Autonomous Communities. For now, it is only possible donation maternity assigned to a public bank of cord blood donation in the following provinces: Tenerife, Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Galicia and Valencia. According to regulations, these stem cells are accessible to any patient anywhere in the world that needed.
On the contrary, if we want the extracted umbilical cord stem cells remain baby exclusively for the personal use of the family should be sent to laboratories located abroad.
When the baby is born the umbilical cord is cut and its blood and placenta is collected
In 2007 he was authorized sanitary in Spain's first private laboratory, VidaCord. This enables the samples obtained can be processed at the center, reducing cell death by not having to travel to other countries to be cryopreserved. According to current law, to be located in Spain, the family can make a private use of umbilical cord but it is also available to those who need to treat their disease. If you want exclusive use, should send specimens to other European laboratories to comply with all the requirements established by law.
Any question about the legality of this procedure can be found in the departments of patient care maternity authorized to carry out the collection of the umbilical cord or in private facilities where hiring process
How it is extracted and processed the umbilical cord of the newborn?
It is necessary for the mother to authorize the city center, public or private, before giving birth or when you get to the clinic to have her baby. The law states that you must sign a consent where authorized the donation. In the case of public schools this is done anonymously and altruistically.
If you ordered the preservation of the umbilical cord through a private center, prior to delivery you will have to sign a trade agreement whereby, in exchange for an economic transaction stipulated by the center, it undertakes to collect samples and preserve accordingly legality.
When the baby is born the umbilical cord is cut and its blood and placenta is collected through a needle that poses no risk to the newborn or mother. The blood is placed in a bag which is sealed and packaged for shipment in a medium with constant temperature control.
What is the price freeze the cord blood?
In public schools do not incur any costs to extract, freeze and preserve the umbilical cord to the parents of the newborn. However, as mentioned above, it will be available to anyone who requests it for the treatment of diseases that require it. It will not be used exclusively for the relatives of the baby.
One of the main sources of stem cells is umbilical cord of newborn
In private schools the price will depend on the rates established by him and additional services that offer and that parents want to hire. For example, a private school that offers collection and conservation in Spain in a foreign laboratory can charge the following fees:
- Cryogenic mothers and preserving cells for a period of 20 years: 2.000 euros
- Cryogenic stem cell, tissue and maintenance for a period of 25 years: 2.800 euros
There are centers which, apart from a fixed fee for preservation of 20 or 25, also establish an annual maintenance fee of around 100 euros. Most private schools offer customers consultation departments where they can clarify their doubts about the legality, methodology and treatment rates.
Is it worth freezing the umbilical cord?
It is a personal decision that should be taken prior to the birth parents. An economic cost that not all families can afford. Currently, almost all private institutions offer financing schemes to cover the treatment.
It is a personal decision that should be taken prior to the birth parents
There are various opinions in medicine recommend freezing the umbilical cord privately and others that this practice does not believe necessary. Enter those in favor claim that the private use of stem cells donated by the newborn are more compatible with family receptors.
Among the critics of private use the explanation offered is that, economically, is not profitable because the probability that it becomes used by a family is poor and, in any case, if preserved in Spanish laboratories and is used by some sick outside the family, they would proceed with the refund.
