Should your child’s cord blood be banked or donated?

Expectant parents often come across offers to store blood from the umbilical cord and placenta of their newborn baby. The blood stem cells contained therein are thus to be secured for the treatment of possible diseases of the child in the future. In fact, the transplantation of blood stem cells is an established method in the treatment of various diseases. But how likely is it to need a transplant of one's own blood stem cells? What are the advantages and disadvantages of blood stem cells from umbilical cord blood compared to blood stem cells from bone marrow, for example? What is the difference between storage with private cord blood banks and donating to public banks? These and similar questions are addressed by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) in a current overview of the topic, which is now also available in German translation. At present, donation to public cord blood banks is recommended for most cases.

Read the original document (English): Cord Blood & Uses to Treat Disease or the German version.

Further patient information on stem cell-based treatments can be found here.