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Private Banking vs. Public Donation

 

Preserving your newborn's stem cells
with a private, family cord blood bank
vs. donating them to a public bank…
Some considerations…

Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank believes that cord blood should be saved, not discarded. While public cord blood banks serve a very useful purpose, parents should be fully informed of the considerations prior to deciding whether to donate their newborn’s cord blood to a public bank or preserve it for their family’s potential future use. It’s important to understand the differences before making the decision that’s right for you.

  Private Banking vs. Public Donation  
  Family Cord
Blood Bank		 Public Cord
Blood Donation
Individual's Rights to Cord Blood Stem Cells Client owns the cells; full rights are preserved. None. Donor relinquishes ownership upon donation.
Cost to Donor Client pays a one-time processing fee and storage fees. No cost. Generally, there is no cost to the donor, nor is a fee paid for the donation.
Collection Sites The collection for family banking can occur virtually anywhere. Limited access to collection services. Public banks only collect cord blood at a limited number of locations.
Access to One's Cells Virtually assured. Client controls the use of his or her cells. Not guaranteed-public banks have a first-come, first-served policy. When needed, a donor's cells may already have been used by someone else. In addition, only about 40% of the donated cord blood will meet the criteria to process and store; the other donated blood samples are discarded or donated for research. So, there is a reasonably high likelihood that a specific sample will not be in the public bank's inventory.
Cost to Retrieve Cells for Transplant Cryo-Cell: None. Costs can range from $15,000 - $25,000 per unit
Availability of Specimen for Timely Transplants Immediately available, once a match is confirmed. Search and match process may take weeks or months; ultimately, a match may not be located.
Transplant-Related Complications In general, there is a lower incidence of severe Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) when using cells donated by a matched sibling. Varies.
Opportunity for Matching Autologous (self): Match is guaranteed.

Siblings: 1-in-4 chance of a perfect match. 		Varies. It can be especially difficult to obtain matched cells in public banks for ethnic minorities and mixed ethnicity couples.
Future Therapeutic Opportunities Family banking creates the opportunity for use of one's own cells for future cellular therapies to potentially treat stroke, heart attack, diabetes, and other serious medical conditions. Uncertain. Donating cells to a public bank makes it less likely that the cells will be available to the donor for use in future therapies.
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