| Questions |
Family Banking |
Public Donation |
| Why participate/enroll? |
Family banking your newborn's stem cells guarantees your newborn's sample will be saved for your family members to treat life-threatening diseases. |
Public donation of stem cells increases our national supply of cord blood samples to help save people needing a suitable stem cell match. |
| What are the transplant survival rates? |
Survival rates using a relative's cord blood can be twice as high compared to using an unrelated sample from a public bank. |
In general survival rates using cord blood from an unrelated donor are lower that of genetically-related cord blood stem cells from a private bank. Complications are significantly increased using unrelated stem cells. |
| Who is eligible to participate? |
All families worldwide are eligible to participate in Family Banking programs. Typically, only samples that may be HIV positive would be excluded. |
Eligibility is based on the parent’s health history and the existence of a public donation program at the delivering hospital. |
| How many hospitals offer cord blood collection? |
Most hospitals in the United States offer cord blood collection through a private banking service. |
A limited number of hospitals offer public donation. |
| What will happen to my baby's cord blood after it's collected? |
Your baby's cord blood is processed and stored exclusively for future use by your family. |
Eligible donations are processed and stored for use by patients searching for a donor, or are used for research purposes. |
| If needed, how long does it take to receive the banked stem cells? |
Family banked samples are available immediately for use and can be released to the patient's physician quickly. |
By agreeing to donate your baby's cord blood, there is no guarantee that it will be saved or available to you in the future. |
| Does it cost anything to bank cord blood? |
It typically costs between $1,500-$1,900 to collect and process your baby's cord blood. Annual storage fees are approximately $125. |
There is no cost to collect and publicly donate your newborn's cord blood. Public banks charge approximately $35,000 for each sample released for transplant. |
