What Is Cord Blood? Stem Cells, Medical Uses and Cord Blood Banking

Created: 28.06.2024 · Last Updated: 17.08.2026 · Category: Obstetrics and Gynecology · Prepared by the Academic Hospital Web and Editorial Board.

Cord blood is the blood remaining in the placenta and umbilical cord after birth. It contains haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells that can be used as a source for stem-cell transplantation in appropriately selected patients.

Cord blood should not be regarded as a guaranteed “health insurance policy for the future”. It has established medical uses, but storing a unit does not guarantee that it will ever be used or that it will be suitable for a future illness.

What Is Cord Blood?

Cord blood is the blood remaining within the placenta and umbilical cord after the baby has been born and the cord has been clamped.

This blood can be collected under sterile conditions, processed and cryopreserved as a potential source of haematopoietic stem cells.

Which Stem Cells Does Cord Blood Contain?

The main clinical value of cord blood comes from haematopoietic stem cells.

These cells can reconstitute the blood-forming system and produce red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and multiple immune-cell populations.

Cord blood can therefore provide an alternative source of haematopoietic stem cells to bone marrow or peripheral-blood stem cells.

It is misleading to describe the stem cells routinely used from cord blood as cells that can simply “turn into any tissue in the body”. Their established clinical role is primarily haematopoietic and immune-system reconstitution.

What Conditions Can Cord Blood Be Used to Treat?

Cord-blood haematopoietic stem cells can be used as a transplant source for selected patients with conditions including some:

  • Leukaemias
  • Lymphomas and other haematological malignancies
  • Bone-marrow failure disorders
  • Haemoglobin disorders
  • Inherited immune-system disorders
  • Inherited metabolic disorders

The suitability of a cord-blood unit depends on the patient's disease, HLA compatibility, cell dose and the availability of other stem-cell sources.

Can a Child Use Their Own Cord Blood?

Autologous use of stored cord blood has important limitations.

If a child develops an inherited genetic disorder, the child's stored cord-blood cells may carry the same genetic alteration.

In certain childhood leukaemias, the stored cord blood may also contain premalignant cellular abnormalities and may therefore not be an appropriate autologous transplant source.

Privately stored cord blood cannot automatically be used to treat every future disease in the child from whom it was collected.

What Are the Potential Future Uses?

Cord-blood and cord-derived cells continue to be investigated in regenerative-medicine research.

Research has included neurological disorders, cerebral palsy, diabetes and various forms of tissue injury.

However, experimental research should be clearly distinguished from established clinical therapy.

Cord-blood stem cells are not currently an established standard treatment for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease or diabetes. Research in these areas does not mean that clinical effectiveness has been proven.

Public vs Private Cord Blood Banking

Public Banking

When available, eligible families may donate cord blood to a public bank. Units meeting the required quality standards can enter a registry and potentially be used for an appropriately matched patient.

The donated unit is not reserved exclusively for the donor's family.

Private Banking

Private banks store cord blood for potential future use by the child or family, generally for a fee.

However, future use cannot be guaranteed and the unit may not be suitable for the condition that eventually develops.

Major professional organisations do not support routine private cord-blood banking as a form of biological insurance when there is no known family indication. Public donation is encouraged where an appropriate programme is available.

When May Directed Family Banking Be Considered?

Directed collection can be clinically relevant when a family already has a child or close relative with a condition potentially treatable by haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation and the newborn may be a suitable donor.

Such situations should ideally be discussed during pregnancy with the obstetric team and the relevant haematology or transplant service.

How Is Cord Blood Collected?

Collection takes place after birth and after the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut.

  1. The baby is born and immediate newborn care takes priority.
  2. The cord is clamped and cut at the clinically appropriate time.
  3. Blood remaining in the cord and placenta is collected into a sterile collection bag.
  4. The unit is labelled and transported for testing, processing and storage.

The blood is collected from the placental-cord circulation rather than directly from the baby's bloodstream.

Does Delayed Cord Clamping Affect Cord Blood Collection?

Yes. Delayed cord clamping allows additional placental blood to transfuse to the newborn and may consequently reduce the volume and number of cells remaining for cord-blood collection.

However, cord-blood banking should not compromise routine maternal or neonatal care.

The health of the mother and baby takes priority over maximising the volume of a cord-blood collection. Except for uncommon medically directed donation circumstances, cord-blood collection should not alter routine delayed-clamping practice solely to obtain a larger unit.

How Is Cord Blood Stored?

After collection, the unit undergoes quality assessment, infectious-disease testing and processing according to the cord-blood bank's protocol.

It is then cryopreserved under controlled conditions and stored at very low temperatures.

Not every collected unit contains a sufficient number of viable cells to meet transplantation-quality requirements.

How Long Can Cord Blood Be Stored?

There is no universal biological rule that a cord-blood unit automatically becomes unusable after 20 or 25 years.

Published long-term stability data have demonstrated preservation of high cellular viability in appropriately cryopreserved cord-blood units for up to 29 years.

The practical storage period depends on the bank's validated procedures, regulatory requirements, quality programme and contractual terms.

What Are the Advantages and Limitations?

Potential Advantages

  • Collection takes place after birth.
  • It provides a source of haematopoietic stem cells.
  • A stored suitable unit can be rapidly available when needed.
  • Cord blood may permit transplantation with less stringent HLA matching in some circumstances.

Limitations

  • The number of stem cells in a single unit is limited.
  • Cell dose may be insufficient for some larger children and adults.
  • Blood-cell recovery after transplantation can be slower than with some other stem-cell sources.
  • The child's own unit may not be suitable for genetic diseases.
  • Autologous use may be inappropriate for certain childhood leukaemias.
  • Future use is not guaranteed.

Consider Your Options Before Birth

If cord-blood collection is being considered, public donation, private storage, family medical history and the birth plan can be discussed during pregnancy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is cord blood?
Cord blood is blood remaining within the placenta and umbilical cord after the baby is born and the cord has been clamped. It contains haematopoietic stem cells capable of producing blood and immune-system cells.
What conditions can cord blood be used to treat?
Cord-blood haematopoietic stem cells can be used as a transplant source in selected patients with certain leukaemias and lymphomas, bone-marrow failure disorders, haemoglobin disorders, immune-system diseases and inherited metabolic disorders.
Is cord blood a health insurance policy for the future?
No. Cord blood has established medical uses, but storing a unit does not guarantee that it will be used in the future or that it will be suitable for any disease that may later develop.
Is cord blood used to treat Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease or diabetes?
These conditions and other regenerative-medicine applications are areas of research, but cord blood is not currently an established standard treatment for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease or diabetes.
Can a child use their own cord blood for every disease?
No. In inherited diseases, the stored cells may carry the same genetic alteration. A child's own stored cord blood may also be unsuitable for certain childhood leukaemias.
Does cord-blood collection hurt the baby?
Cord blood is collected from blood remaining in the placenta and cord after the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut. Blood is not drawn directly from the baby's circulation, and standard collection should not interfere with maternal or newborn care.
Can cord blood still be collected after delayed cord clamping?
Collection may still be possible, but delayed clamping can reduce the volume and number of cells remaining for collection. Except for uncommon medically directed donations, cord-blood collection should not alter routine maternal and newborn care solely to obtain a larger unit.
How long can cord blood be stored?
There is no universal biological cut-off at 20 or 25 years. Long-term studies have demonstrated high cellular viability in appropriately cryopreserved cord-blood units for up to 29 years. Practical storage duration depends on the bank's quality system and conditions.
Academic Hospital note: Cord blood is an established source of haematopoietic stem cells for specific medical indications, but it should not be presented as biological insurance against every future disease. Public donation, private banking and medically directed family banking should be considered in the context of family medical history and the birth plan. You can book an appointment.

References

  1. Academic Hospital. Cord Blood
  2. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Umbilical Cord Blood Banking
  3. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping After Birth
  4. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Cord Blood Banking – Information for Consumers
  5. American Academy of Pediatrics. Cord Blood Banking for Potential Future Transplantation
  6. Querol S, et al. Long-Term Stability of Cord Blood Units After 29 Years of Cryopreservation