Frequently Asked Questions
Topics
- Recommendations from Parent's Guide to Cord Blood
- Education
- Donate Cord Blood
- Find a Family Bank
- Collecting Cord Blood
- Shipping & Handling
- Processing Methods
- Laboratory Standards
- Storage Facility
- Consumer Protection
- Questions Parents should ask a Family Bank
- Stem Cell Transplants with Cord Blood
- Regenerative Medicine with Cord Blood
- See all FAQs
Laboratory Standards
- Educate expectant parents about all their options for cord blood (Education)
- Choose a family bank that meets all your national and local regulations, plus has been inspected by an accreditation agency (Lab Standards)
- Choose a family bank that uses a specialized courier to transport cord blood (Find a Family Bank), or in some countries the family can hire a specialized courier directly (Shipping & Handling).
- Is the cord blood laboratory accredited by an agency that has specific standards for cord blood banks and conducts inspections? (ex: AABB, FACT, ISO)
- Some US states license cord blood banks (CA, MD, NJ, NY): Do they operate in those states? Note that the California Biologics License is based on AABB accreditation, but lags behind the latest AABB updates.
- Does the lab process cord blood around the clock, or only on selected shifts?
- What tests does the lab perform on maternal blood?
- What tests does the lab perform for infectious disease markers?
- What tests does the lab perform for contamination?
- Does the lab ever reject cord blood collections on the basis of the tests of maternal blood, infectious diseases, or contamination?
- Does the lab maintain a "quarantine tank" for the storage of blood that might be able to transmit an infection?
- What tests does the lab perform to measure the stem cell count of the processed cord blood and the stem cell viability?
- Does the lab/bank inform parents, prior to storage, if the collection is too small for a transplant, and give them the option not to save it?
- Does the lab/bank offer parents a refund if the cord blood collection has certain problems (contamination, low volume)? These refunds are typically only offered if the bank performed the collection as part of their service.
- What information will parents receive in the final report about their stored cord blood?
The Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation recommends that parents select a Family Bank whose laboratory has been inspected and accredited by an accreditation agency specific to cord blood banking, as this provides a degree of quality assurance.
In some countries, national regulations hold Family Banks to the same standards as Public Banks, so an independent accreditation is not necessary (Examples: Germany, Israel). But in most countries the federal requirements for Family Banks are not as strict as Public Banks, and then a voluntary accreditation is desirable. For example, in the United States the FDA registers and inspects Family banks, but does not require them to have a BLA License like Public Banks.
Caveat: The process of registering with an accreditation agency and getting inspected can take a year, so it is understandable if a brand new lab does not have an accreditation yet.
In some countries, national regulations hold Family Banks to the same standards as Public Banks, so an independent accreditation is not necessary (Examples: Germany, Israel). But in most countries the federal requirements for Family Banks are not as strict as Public Banks, and then a voluntary accreditation is desirable. For example, in the United States the FDA registers and inspects Family banks, but does not require them to have a BLA License like Public Banks.
Caveat: The process of registering with an accreditation agency and getting inspected can take a year, so it is understandable if a brand new lab does not have an accreditation yet.
