Banking of Human Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells and Their Clinical Applications

Abstract

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is an alternative source of hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells to treat many malignant and nonmalignant disorders. This pioneering finding started with several in vitro studies that led to the first hematopoietic cell transplantation in which UCB was used instead of bone marrow. Since then the idea to preserve UCB for future use became appealing. Thereafter, many CB banks(CBBs) have been established and over the last decade it became a popular option worldwide. The full process of UCB banking includes donor recruitment, UCB collection, processing, testing, cryopreservation, storage, listing, search, selection, reservation, release, and distribution for administration. In this chapter I will highlight the first discoveries in the field of UCB, the main steps to preserve this highly enriched source of stem cells and its most established clinical applications.