Pilot tests viability of public cord blood bank

The Rhode Island Blood Center and Women & Infants Hospital have launched a year-long pilot program to test the feasibility of establishing a public cord blood bank in the state, which would be the first in New England.
Cord blood, which is taken from the umbilical cord when a baby is born, contains stem cells that can be used to treat certain cancers, leukemia, anemia and genetic disorders – much as bone marrow might be used, but without the need for a perfect match.
For years now, mothers have been able to save their babies’ cord blood for their own use, paying private cord blood banks. But public banks are relatively scarce, and the therapeutic uses of cord blood stem cells are still not all known. Research continues, for example, to determine whether they can be used to treat diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, heart disease, stroke and brain injuries. It is already used to treat sickle cell disease.
The new pilot program is a partnership between the Blood Center, the hospital and the New Jersey Cord Blood Bank, operated by Community Blood Services of New Jersey.
Women preparing to give birth at the hospital will be asked if they wish to donate their cord blood, and if they meet the program standards, the blood will be taken when the baby is delivered, tested at the Blood Center to ensure it contains enough stem cells, and then shipped to the Community Blood Services bank in Allendale, N.J., for processing and storage.
“On what is the 30th anniversary year of the Rhode Island Blood Center, we are embarking on one of our most exciting ventures,” said Scott Asadorian, the Blood Center’s chief operating officer, in a news release last Wednesday. “We are hopeful that our pilot program will prove that a cord blood bank is not only feasible in New England, but will become an important part of the development of this technology, helping to save thousands of lives.”
Currently, between 60,000 and 90,000 units of cord blood are stored in public banks, according to Dennis Todd, president and CEO of Community Blood Services. That’s about half the goal of the National Marrow Donor Program. About 10,000 cord blood transplants have been performed worldwide, he said, often involving patients who couldn’t find a bone marrow match and for whom a cord blood transplant was “their last hope.”
“Cord blood donation is an incredible, painless way to save someone’s life,” said Dr. Carolyn Young, the Rhode Island Blood Center’s chief medical officer. “There is no controversy, unlike embryonic stem cells. The cord blood collection is performed after the birth of the baby and the stem cells may be frozen indefinitely for use when needed. There are no fees to donate cord blood or to store it for public use.”
The pilot program is supported by a $70,000 state legislative grant.
For more information, call (401) 248-5768 or e-mail cordblood@ribc.org