Cord Blood Donation

Cord blood, blood collected and stored from the umbilical cord of a baby at birth, is one of three sources for blood transfusions in illnesses like leukemia and lymphoma. The other two sources are bone marrow and peripheral or circulating blood. This type of transplant does not have to match the recipient as closely as the other two. At birth a mother can have the infant cord blood stored for her own family. Some people also will donate cord blood to blood banks or specific people who are seriously ill.Cord blood is rich in blood forming cells and that is why it can be used for transplants.

Some examples of where banked cord blood might be used include people who are in need of a transplant quickly, or people who are having a hard time finding a matching bone marrow donor. Because cord blood does not need to match a tissue type as closely as other tissue transplants, people from racially or ethnically diverse communities can be helped more readily by a cord blood transplant. Cord blood is often stored on site at a hospital or trauma center and can be used more quickly when needed in an emergency. It is a viable choice to have a cord blood donation used in these situations. Many hospitals now have banked umbilical cord blood.

Umbilical cord blood cells are not the same as embryonic stem cells. They are collected when the baby is born, from the umbilical cord and the placenta. When a child is born cord blood is stored either in a private, family blood bank or as a donation in a hospital blood bank. Later, if a transfusion is needed, the physician will determine the best source of donated cord blood, whether it is from family or from an unrelated source. Also considered would be how closely the family match was and whether or not the donor may need it, or if there are genetic disorders that might be passed on.