Considerations in Recommending a Cord Blood Bank
We realize that choosing a cord blood bank is a very important decision for your patients and there is a lot of information to consider, some of which may be confusing. Below is some information that may help you when recommending a family cord blood bank to your patients.
Since the first successful cord blood transplant in 1988, cord blood has been used to save thousands of lives. Cord blood transplants have been successful in the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and more than 70 life-threatening diseases. A list of the diseases currently treated with cord blood can be found under Diseases Currently Treated with Cord Blood. In addition, there are many clinical trials and pre-clinical laboratory research studies for other diseases being conducted with cord blood. For example, human clinical trials are underway for Type I Diabetes and Cerebral Palsy. A list of current cord blood clinical trials can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov (a service of the National Institutes of Health).
It is important to explain to your patients that the presence of clinical trials and pre-clinical laboratory research does not guarantee that cord blood will be successful in the treatment of the diseases being tested in the future. Unfortunately, some family cord blood banks have been known to exaggerate or misrepresent the benefits of cord blood. Tell your patients to beware of scare tactics. Any company who tries to imply that storing cord blood "could be the only chance that you have to save your baby's life" is trying to prey upon your patients' emotions to get a sale. A less obvious scare tactic implies that certain locations of the country, other than theirs, are prone to problems (such as natural disasters) and therefore unsafe to store cord blood. Every area of the U.S. has pros and cons, and reputable cord blood banks have secure facilities, backup systems and procedures to keep cord blood safe regardless of the location.
Suggestions for narrowing your recommendations of family cord blood banks:
Recommend a cord blood bank that also has a public cord blood bank. Public cord blood banks that collect donated cord blood are regulated by more stringent guidelines than family cord blood banks. Cord blood banks which have a public cord blood bank are likely to utilize that experience when developing quality practices for their family cord blood bank. In addition, family cord blood banks that also have a public cord blood bank are likely to have greater experience in releasing cord blood units for transplants. For more information, click here.
Recommend a cord blood bank that invests in the stringent processes and advanced technology utilized by the world's leading public cord blood banks. Many of the family cord blood banks in the U.S. still use manual methods for processing and cryo-storage because they are less expensive. For more information, click here.
Recommend a cord blood bank that employs and partners with leading cord blood experts to develop and direct their processes. Suggest that your patients conduct a web search of the names of the people listed on the company's website (especially the Medical Director) and look for those that are leaders and world renowned experts in the field of cord blood banking, research and transplantation. For more information, click here.
*http://www.celltherapysociety.org/files/PDF/Committees/NA_LRA/FDA_Guidance_for_UCB_licensure_20Oct2009.pdf