Cord blood and cord tissue are rich in powerful stem cells and can only be collected at birth for potential future use. 

Stem cells can be used now for medical treatments, and there is an expanding range of new therapies being researched that anticipate using cord blood and tissue in the future, eg. type 1 diabetes, cerebral palsy and autism.  

Your baby's stem cells are a perfect match for your child and are likely to be a match for siblings and family members. Siblings have a much higher probability of a match than an unrelated donor and the medial outcomes are superior when related cord blood is used in transplants.