The Root Cause Medicine Podcast is created by Rupa Health, the best way to order, track & get results from 30+ lab companies in one place. In today’s episode, Dr. Carrie Jones is joined by Kathryn Cross, the Founder of Anja Health. They discuss placenta and cord blood banking for stem cell use later in life. Key Takeaways: What Is Cord Blood? Cord blood is the blood that remains in the placenta and in the attached umbilical cord. This blood is collected after childbirth because it contains stem cells, which can be used to treat various genetic disorders. Why Should You Bank Stem Cells From the placenta? Stem cells help effectively treat lymphomas, solid tumors, inherited red cell abnormalities, leukemias, inherited metabolic disorders, and many other diseases. How Does Anja Health Help People Save Stem Cells? First, you order one of Anja Health's collection kits, which will ship to your home. When the birth has begun, bring the kit to the hospital, and the medical team will collect stem cells. Then, Anja Health will pick up and store the stem cells at their AABB-accredited lab. Building Anja Health was much more than just a startup idea. For Kathryn, it’s a life mission. Having experienced losing her brother Andrew, who could have been helped with his own cord blood stem cells if they had been saved at birth, she was aware of the promising future for this segment of the healthcare industry from a very young age. Kathryn's mission is to spread awareness on the use cases of umbilical cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta and how, by banking these at birth, parents can better prepare themselves for the future of their children.