When it comes to cord blood banking, it's important for expectant parents to understand the three options:
- Private Banking: Preserve these valuable stem cells exclusively for your family, keeping them available for potential future use.
- Public Donation: Donate the cord blood to a public bank for use by anyone in need.
- No Action: The cord blood is discarded as medical waste by the hospital.
While public banking serves the greater community by expanding the global registry for patients in need, private banking offers the unique advantage of securing a matched transplant unit specifically for your family’s possible future medical needs.
Cryo-Cell is both a private and public cord blood bank because we believe cord blood is a valuable resource that should not be discarded. Parents are encouraged to learn more about their options to make an informed decision that best fits their family's needs.
What is Public Cord Blood Banking?
Public cord blood banking is the act of donating your baby's cord blood for free to a public registry, where it becomes available for anyone in need of a stem cell transplant. The National Marrow Donor Program (formerly Be the Match®) operates the registry of donated cord blood.
What are Key Considerations?
- There are a limited number of public collection sites, which means it isn't accessible to all parents.
- Only a small number of high-quality collections are retained for the registry. The rest are used for research, and possibly commercial purposes.
- Once a donation is made to a public bank, the family relinquishes ownership, making it highly improbable that those specific cells will be available should a family member need them in the future.
- It may be hard to find another viable match from the public registry, especially for diverse ethnic backgrounds.82
- Finding and acquiring public donor stem cells for transplantation generally takes 3 to 4 months from the initial search to the transplant date. While initial matching can take weeks, the full process—including confirmatory testing, donor physicals, and scheduling—could take months. When a patient is diagnosed with a life-threatening disorder and has an urgent need for a transplant, the time to access cells often becomes a critical component for survival. 82
Private vs. Public Cord Blood Banking
| |
Private Banking |
Public Banking |
| Intended Use |
Preserved for primary family members to potentially use in transplant medicine or clinical trials. |
Donated to a registry for anyone in need or research purposes. Not always accessible for clinical trials. |
| Rights |
A family that banks privately has full rights and immediate access if ever needed. |
A family that donates gives up rights and access to the cord blood. |
| Collecting |
Cord blood can be collected nearly anywhere with a collection kit. |
Limited to participating locations. |
| Cost to Preserve |
Fees are dependent on the chosen processing option. We offer free enrollment and payment plans to fit every budget. |
Free. |
| Compatibility |
The stored cells are biologically related to the child and family members, supporting potential use within the family. |
Relies on finding a suitable, unrelated donor match from the public registry inventory. This can be challenging, especially for diverse ethnic backgrounds. 82 |
| Cost to Retrieve |
Free. |
It is approx. $45,000 to purchase from a public bank. This is subject to medical insurance coverage provisions. |
Wish to Donate Your Cord Blood for Free?
Cryo-Cell operates as a public cord blood bank in partnership with Duke University Medical Center. Cryo-Cell's public bank has been chosen by the HRSA of the U.S. as one of the nation's highest quality cord blood banks to help build the National Cord Blood Inventory. For a list of participating hospitals, please visit our Public Banking Program.