Cord blood banking models
Cord blood has been used in transplant medicine since 1988, when the first allogeneic cord blood transplant was performed. Over the last 25 years, the field has grown significantly. The cells in umbilical cord blood have therapeutic value for the treatment of malignant and non-malignant blood disorders and immune diseases, so its collection and storage is becoming increasingly common.
In children, allogeneic cord blood transplantation has similar survival rates to the transplantation of haematopoietic stem cells from other sources (e.g. bone marrow), and results for adults continue to improve.
In recent years, the number of cord blood banks offering families the opportunity to store their babies’ cord blood for possible future uses has grown. Parents now face the decision of whether to donate their cord blood for public use, to store it for private use or to discard it after birth.