A public cord blood bank is a laboratory that collects donated cord blood from pregnant mothers and couples that recognize that their newborn’s cord blood can potentially save the life of someone searching for a source of stem cells for a stem cell transplant. Once at the lab, the cord blood is processed and HLA typed and listed on stem cell registries.

The National Marrow Donor Program is the largest registry in the United States and recently was awarded a contract from the US government as part of the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 (Smith Stem Cell Bill) to consolidate the registries and make it easier and more efficient for a patient in need of a stem cell transplant to find a donor.

If you are interested in donating your newborn baby’s cord blood the best way to find a public cord blood bank in your area is to visit the National Marrow Donor Program.

You can also ask at your labor and delivery unit or delivering hospital if they work with a public cord blood bank.

If you would like to learn more about what it means to donate your newborns cord blood, please visit the following sites for answers to your questions.

The cord blood banks listed below are the banks that were awarded federal funds from the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 (Smith Stem Cell Bill) and are all FACT accredited which is the highest standard of accreditation.

Carolinas Cord Blood Bank

Colorado Cord Blood Bank

MD Anderson Cord Blood Bank

New York Blood Center Cord Blood Program

StemCyte Cord Blood Bank (Also a Private Bank)

St. Loius Cord Blood Bank