Organ donations are crucial to saving lives and improving the quality of life for patients seeking transplants and treatment. One organ that doesn’t typically come to mind when considering donations is the placenta.
Our company, BioLab Holdings, Inc. specializes in wound care products and manufactures amniotic membranes derived from donated placentas. Unfortunately, there’s a major lack of placental donations in the U.S., but with more awareness, perhaps that can change.
The placenta nourishes a fetus during pregnancy and has astounding healing abilities. It is a valuable resource for treating wounds, yet most placentas are thrown into a biohazard disposable bag and are rarely utilized after birth.
Placentas have a multitude of cells, collagens and cytokines, but its the lining, the amniotic membrane, that can aid in wound healing. Unfortunately, the more than 4 million placentas delivered every year are often disposed of and unused. Most women aren’t even aware their placentas can be used for other treatments and aren’t offered the option to donate.