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Umbilical cord blood contains stem cells that may help treat serious and devastating diseases in children and adults. In the past, cord blood was thrown away after an infant was delivered. Today, parents can choose to save or donate cord blood to public and commercial cord blood banks for future use. There is no cost to donate cord blood to a public cord blood bank.
Public cord blood banks are regulated by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and must meet strict guidelines. These guidelines include critical policies and procedures for transportation; safety testing; and long-term storage of umbilical cord blood units to prevent harm to the recipient, eliminate the risk of transmitting communicable diseases, and maximize the effectiveness of umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation.
In 2001, the Texas Legislature created the Texas Cord Blood Bank, which is fully accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) and is a division of the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center in San Antonio. Several commercial cord blood banks now operate in Texas and charge a fee for their services.
In 2007, the Department of State Health Services was required by law to produce and distribute materials to educate parents about cord blood and their options for storing it. The brochure does not adequately explain the difference between autologous cells (from the patient) vs. allogenic cells (from a different donor) as the law directs. Currently, the actual clinical advantage of using autologous vs. allogenic cord blood is unclear. It is still unknown if an autologous unit of cord blood benefits a child or family member, especially if that person has a genetic mutation.
Medicine’s 2009 Agenda
- Support accreditation of all cord blood banks by a nationally recognized agency, such as the AABB.
- Support measures to ensure the public is fully educated about the limitations and benefits of cord blood transplantation.
Medicine’s Message
- Public cord blood banks are free and promote the use of allogenic cells. This practice is similar to the current whole blood collection process in the United States. Private cord blood banks, however, charge a fee to store autologous cells, which are taken from an individual for subsequent use by the same individual. More research is needed to ascertain the true value of storing autologous cord blood cells.
Last Published: 11/18/2008 Print this page
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