Umbilical cord blood banking: an update

Abstract

Background Umbilical cord blood is a potential vast source of primitive hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells available for clinical application to reconstitute the hematopoietic system and/or restore immunological function in affected individuals requiring treatment. Cord blood can be used as an alternative source for bone marrow transplantation and its use is developing into a new field of treatment for pediatric and adult patients presenting with hematological disorders, immunological defects and specific genetic diseases. Discussion More than 25,000 allogeneic cord blood transplantations have been performed worldwide since the first cord blood transplantation in 1988. There are two banking options for storing umbilical cord blood [private (family) and public]. Cord blood stored in private banks are used for either autologous or allogeneic transplants for the infant donor or related family members but private cord blood banks are not searchable or available to the public. More than 780,000 cord blood units are stored in over 130 private cord blood banks, worldwide, and over 400,000 units in more than 100 quality controlled public cord blood banks.Conclusions Researchers continue to evaluate the usefulness of cord blood cells in treating human diseases or disorders for purposes other than hematological disorders including heart disease, strokes, brain or spinal cord injuries and cancer. This review summarizes the status of umbilical cord blood banking, its history and current and potential use in the treatment of human disease.

Recurrence of Neonatal Lupus Post-Cord Blood Transplant for Severe Congenital Neutropenia

“…All accredited banks, whether private or public, provide testing for bacterial contamination, presence of highly transmissible diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C and B viruses, and are plasma-and red blood cell-reduced before cryopreservation to eliminate concerns of ABO or Rh incompatibility between donor and recipient. [15][16][17] Our patient's CBU was retrieved from a nationally accredited private bank, similar to public banks. Despite the standardized processing performed on this CBU, it may have contained small amounts of plasma constituents, including maternal anti-Ro or anti-La antibodies, which could account for the symptoms observed.…”

“…17,24 In addition, although many private banks are accredited and abide to similar standardization practices as public banks, many still do not. 15,17,22 Interest in the fields of regenerative medicine and genetic therapy may lead to future uses for privately banked cords for a variety of illnesses; however, it is currently difficult to ethically and financially justify private banking. The high cost of private banking, the few uses for autologous cord blood transplants, and the possible lack of standardized processing in private banks has many physician organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the…”

Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 2015: A Year in Review

“…Indeed, the need for creating iPS cell banks, similar to cord blood banks, 29 is being strongly articulated by the scientific and clinical community. These banks could adopt several models for matching haplotypes of human leukocyte antigens (HLAs), which are described briefly below.…”

Can cord blood banks transform into induced pluripotent stem cell banks?

“…Significantly, more than 400,000 fully characterized and HLA-typed CB units are stored in public banks that are ready for use to make histocompatible iPSC stock [25]. Moreover, a larger number of CB units are stored in private banks; with appropriate changes in consent and HLA typing, these could be included in a large pool from which the appropriate HLA-matched donors could be selected.…”