Saving your Sibling: Cord Blood Banking

Latest updates on umbilical cord blood stem cell transplants. PREMIUM CONTENT subscriber access

In a past newsletter I reported on the promise arising from placenta and amniotic fluid derived stem cells, to ameliorate perinatal neural injuries. But the longest available source for stem cell transplants, are those from umbilical cord blood banks.

Placentas: stem cell stores help restore premie brains

For example, Carolinas Cord Blood Bank (CCBB) is one of the largest public cord blood banks in the world. It was established ~ 25 yrs ago, and is FACT and CAP accredited and CLIA certified. In 2012 it received FDA approval for the licensure of unrelated donor banked umbilical cord blood. The CCBB collects, processes and banks cord blood donations from mothers who deliver at their nine collection sites or else through their Kit Program. And many other banks have been established, globally, over this quarter century.

Cord blood stored for personal use and for use in first- or second-degree relatives that also meets other criteria in FDA’s regulations does not require approval before use. Private cord banks must still comply with other FDA requirements, including establishment registration and listing, donor screening and testing for infectious diseases (except when used for the original donor), reporting and labeling requirements, and compliance with current good tissue practice regulations.