What are the Different Types of Cord Blood Services?

Private and public cord blood services, also known as cord blood banking, store the blood from the umbilical cord and placenta of childbirth. In the broadest sense, private banking services store cord blood for an individual for future use in medical procedures, while a public cord blood storage company will use the banked blood for stem cell research or transplants. Cord blood contains stem cells — the cells that are able to renew and build tissue, organs and systems within the body — and the specific genetic makeup of a family.

Cord blood is harvested from the umbilical cord and placenta within 15 minutes of a child’s birth. The blood is extracted either by using a syringe or by allowing the umbilical cord blood to drain into a collection bag. Families considering cord blood services should contact a bank by the 34th week of pregnancy. Stem cells from cord blood have been found to be useful in treating more than 70 diseases, including genetic blood disorders and some types of cancer, including leukemia. A person's stem cells can be substituted for bone marrow in transplants with much less risk of rejection.

Private cord blood banks provide storage for families who want the exclusive rights to use their child’s stem cells in the future. The cord blood is legally owned by the parents until the child is 18 years old, and it can be used for the medical needs of the child, a sibling or a family member if they are a match. Private cord blood organizations are for-profit only and charge an initial fee for the collection of the cord blood. A yearly storage fee is also required but, in the case of a medical problem, the cord blood is available for use at the discretion of the family.

Families choosing a private cord blood bank should thoroughly research the organization’s experience with cord blood banking and transplantation. They should make sure that the cord blood services organization is financially sound and should ask what procedures would be followed if the company were to close. It's also good to find out how long the company has been providing cord blood services and if it is affiliated with any hospitals or research facilities. Private banks should be accredited by the AABB and follow regulations set forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Transfer banks and research banks both provide public cord blood services. Transfer banks are either for-profit or non-profit organizations. All costs of collecting, processing and storing blood from the umbilical blood is free for the parents, because they must give ownership of the blood to the bank. These organizations then sell or donate the blood to be used in stem cell transplants or research, and the cord blood can be listed on a national registry for potential donors. No identifying information is ever shared with recipients of the blood.

Research banks only use cord blood for stem cell research and testing. Through the research of stem cells, medical advances have shown that cord blood can be beneficial for people who have type 1 diabetes, sickle cell anemia, cardiovascular damage and hearing loss. The ethical controversy surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells does not apply to cord blood stem cells.