Today it’s World Cord Blood Day!
A day dedicated to pointing the public attention to the great resource for human health that cordon blood can be.
Why does cord blood matter?
Cord blood comes from the placenta. It is taken from the umbilical cord immediately after childbirth. It contains hematopoietic stem cells which produce all the cells present in the blood.
It’s important because hematopoietic stem cell transplants from cord blood or bone marrow are used to cure malignant blood diseases such as leukemia or lymphoma.
It’s all about compatibility
Any hematopoietic stem cell transplant requires compatibility between donor and recipient (one in a million chance between two unrelated individuals). Cord blood stem cells are immature and cause fewer immunological complications than bone marrow transplants.
When a patient needs a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, the transplant doctor first looks for a compatible donor within the patient’s family. If no one is compatible in the family, the doctor will query the bone marrow donor and the cord blood registries.
Cord blood transplantation represents around 8% of all hematopoietic stem cell transplants in France (this proportion rises to 27% of transplants in children). The probability of finding a compatible donor increases with the connection of international registries.
Software solutions for the Cord Blood management
Hemo Transplant and e-Delphyn are 2 solutions of the GPI4BLOOD suite that are designed to offer the strict compatibility that the hematopoietic stem cell transplant requires along with the highest safety standard of the industry.
FIND OUT MORE.
Visit the website of the World Cord Blood Day organization.
