Benefits of Family Banking

The AFCBB believes strongly that every family should consider the benefits of banking the cord blood stem cells of each newborn with an AFCBB bank.

There is general agreement among transplantation experts that -- all other things being equal -- stem cell transplants from HLA-matched genetically-related sources (those from an immediate family member) are associated with less frequent and less severe graft-versus-host disease; less transplant-related mortality; and superior long-term survival as compared with stem cells that are HLA-matched from an unrelated donor.

The likelihood of a person developing a disorder that is treatable by stem cell therapy will increase over the life of that individual. Family banked cord blood is immediately available for use, reducing the time required for searching and matching. The majority of patients who need a stem cell transplant today are currently unable to locate an appropriate match.

As of January 2007, there have been more than 8,000 cord blood stem cell transplants worldwide. Stem cells already are being used to treat broad classes of diseases including genetic, hematologic, immunologic, metabolic and oncologic disorders. Several academic institutions and companies worldwide are investing in developing new uses of cord blood stem cells to potentially provide new treatments to patients who suffer from diseases such as cardiac disease, diabetes, and several neurological diseases.

Cord blood that is not collected at the time of birth represents a wasted stem cell resource that could be used for siblings, born and yet-unborn, family members as well as potential unrelated recipients who would benefit from a transplant.