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New Mothers Save Stem Cells to Protect Offspring
By Brian McDonald
Irish Independent
Independent Newspapers Ireland Ltd
05 September 2005
HUNDREDS of Irish women are now opting to freeze stem cells from the umbilical cord after giving birth as a revolutionary type of medical insurance policy in the event of their children becoming seriously ill in later life.
Many women are choosing to invest in the procedure rather than spend their money on material goods.
Four members of one Galway family have had their babies' umbilical cord stem cells frozen, so convinced are they that the cells will be invaluable in the event of their children developing serious illness in adult life.
The practice has been endorsed by the country's leading expert in stem cell research, while stem cells harvested in this way have already been successfully used in the US in treating siblings with life-threatening diseases.
Almost all Irish maternity hospitals are co-operating in the procedure.
The stem cells are contained within the blood of the umbilical cord and, once a child is delivered and the cord clamped, 60-70ml of blood are drawn from the cord and stored in a sealed bag. This is sent by courier to a dedicated laboratory either in the UK or elsewhere in Europe as no such facility exists in Ireland.
Once the blood has been declared free of infection, it is cryogenically frozen and stored on behalf of the child. The entire procedure costs in the region of €1,500.
Only one Irish company, medical supplier Medicare based in Dublin, is supplying the necessary kits, explanatory documentation and other back-up services to Irish women seeking to have the procedure carried out.
Since first providing the facility in response to demand in May 2002, the company had been catering for up to 50 Irish women a year.
Scientists believe the stem cells can be used to treat cancers, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Disease.
Already this year, 100 women have availed of Medicare's services and the indications are that more Irish women are choosing to have the procedure carried out immediately after giving birth.
Medicare spokesperson Grania Howard said: "As a nurse, I saw the benefits straight away and I've had it done as there is a history of heart disease in my family. We provide a private service and send out explanatory information and a kit.
"Once the blood is approved by the lab and frozen, it can be accessed at any time depending on the need."
Mother-of-four Mary Ryan, of Clarenbidge, Co Galway, opted to have the procedure carried out when her son Joshua was born early last year. Mary had researched the process extensively and shared her information with her pregnant sisters Clare and Lucy as well as sister-in-law Angela.
All four women have now had their babies' stem cells frozen as a means of potentially providing for the protection for their children's health in later life.
Said Mary: "I view it as a type of insurance policy for my son's welfare, that's all. Unfortunately, some people confuse this very simple procedure with the use of stem cells from embryos. This has nothing to do with embryos and there is no way any of us would go down that route."
We found the staff of both Medicare and University College Hospital in Galway where Joshua was born, extremely supportive of carrying out this very straight-forward procedure.
The scientific director of NUI Galway's Regenerative Medicine Centre, Prof Frank Barry, told the Irish Independent he believed it was just a matter of time before a dedicated private facility providing laboratory and storage facilities for umbilical stem cells was established in Ireland.
Said Prof Barry: "I am supportive of the practice of storing these stem cells. I think it's a very good idea. Down the road there may emerge some problem with the cells that we haven't thought of, but I am aware that such cells have been taken out of storage to successfully treat siblings suffering from serious illness in the US."
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