A center that maintains umbilical cord blood units. A cord blood bank may combine some or all of the activities of a donor center, a collection center, and a registry.
Cord Blood Transplant
The process by which a thawed hematopoietic progenitor cell unit from cord blood is infused into a patient for treatment.
Cord Blood Unit
Umbilical cord blood that has been processed, frozen, and stored for future use. Embryonic Stem Cell (different from cord blood stem cells)
Stem cells capable of differentiating into virtually any adult cell line. These cells are derived from human embryos that are less than 1 week old, usually surplus frozen embryos.
Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD)
A common and serious complication of bone marrow or cord blood transplantation where there is a reaction of the donated cells to a patient’s own tissue. GVHD can lead to organ damage.
Hematopoiesis
The formation of blood or blood cells.
Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell (HPC)
A stem cell that has the ability to differentiate into cells capable of restoring myelopoiesis, erythropoiesis, throbopoiesis, and immune cells that make up the functional compartments of the human hematopoietic system. These cells are typically derived from the bone marrow, peripheral blood, or cord blood of humans.
Hemoglobinopathy
A disorder due to abnormalities in the hemoglobin molecule. The best known hemogoblinopathy is sickle-cell anemia.
Immunosuppression
Suppression of natural immune responses. Can be achieved with certain drugs.
Mixed Bank
A bank principally collecting unrelated cord blood units donated for transplantation but also operating private facilities for low-risk autologous and family use. Money received from private banking activities helps to offset costs of the unrelated donor facility.
Private Cord Blood Bank
Bank storing cord blood units for autologous or family use. Most private banks charge for this service, although some may offer their services at no cost to families with a medical need.
Public Cord Blood Bank
Bank storing cord blood units donated for unrelated transplantation or research. Cord blood units may also be stored for autologous or family use where there is a known risk. The costs of processing and storing the cord blood unit are charged to the end user (transplant center or recipient). Public banks can be operated under either a nonprofit or for-profit cost model.
Registry
A list of records—such as units available in a bank, or volunteer bone marrow donors.
Stem Cells
Multipotent cells can differentiate into a variety of more specialized cells into the human body. Stem cells can be derived from bone marrow, stimulated peripheral blood, umbilical cord blood, a variety of other sources, including embryos.
Umbilical Cord Blood
Blood collected from the umbilical cord and placenta post delivery of the infant. The blood can be collected either prior to or after the delivery of the placenta.