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Canada
, Canada
Canada has had a public network accepting cord blood donations in Quebec since 2004 and is expanding to cover the nation in 2013.
Read more >>FAQs
- Processing: How is cord blood processed before storage?
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The three main components of cord blood, like any blood collection, can be separated by weight: the heaviest layer is the red blood cells (RBC), the lightest is the plasma (a clear white liquid), and in the middle is a pinkish layer called the "buffy coat" which contains the white blood cells (WBC), including stem cells. When banks process the cord blood, the final separated component that goes into storage is the buffy coat, even though only about 1% of the cells are actually stem cells. There is no procedure to separate out the stem cells alone.
The vast majority of blood processing methods rely on the different density of the three main blood components. They can be separated by sedimentation, or by centrifuge, or by a combination of the two techniques. The procedure can be performed manually by trained technicians or by automated machine.
- What questions should parents ask a Family Bank about Shipping & Handling?
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- Is the cost of shipping included in the contract?
- Does the shipping company offer bed-side pick-up?
- On weekends, are the laboratory staff in-house or on-call?
- Does the bank guarantee to get the blood to the lab and processed within a certain time window?
- Does the shipping container have a temperature logger?
- If the bank uses a courier, does the courier have possession of the cord blood throughout transit? (ie: Does the courier sub-contract to another shipping company that is not a medical courier)?
- Is the cost of shipping included in the contract?
- How does the Institute of Medicine influence cord blood education?
- Congress commissioned an Institute of Medicine study on the ideal structure of a national cord blood
program. Based on the IoM report, Congress passed the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 that was signed into law 20 Dec. 2005. The key language regarding education is the requirement: Information provided to the maternal donor regard(s) all of her medically appropriate cord blood options. ie: Education of expectant parents and Informed Consent of maternal donors should cover all options, not just donation.
