What Is a Stem Cell Bank? Cord Blood Banking Controvery and Ethical Issues
test tubesStem cell banking refers to the collection and processing of stem cells found in blood. Currently, over 50 different diseases can be treated with stem cells, but scientists predict that stem cell treatment will become increasingly frequent as research advances. Some experts suggesting that stem cell treatment may be commonly used for many major diseases within a decade.

There are both public and private stem cell banking facilities. Public stem cell banks are for non-family use. Private cord blood banks store stem cells specifically for family use. Stem cells are obtained, processed and stored at extrmemely low temperature, typically below below –150 °Celsius (–238 °Fahrenheit).

Current estimates place the likelihood of an individual using his or her own stem cells before the age of 20 at greater than 1 in 2500, and greater than 1 in 500 by the age of 70. There are currently thousands of studies that are investigating new applications for stored stem cell blood in the treatment of common life-threatening and disabling diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, liver disease, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, or stroke. With ongoing advances in biomedicine and biotechnology, it is possible and even likely that nearly every individual born in this generation could benefit from stem cell therapy in his or her lifetime.		 Cord blood is the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta following delivery of a newborn child. The child's umbilical cord and placenta are typically discarded post-partum; however, more recently, it has been recognized that blood from the umbilical cord is rich in potentially life-saving stem cells.

infantCord blood banking is an increasingly popular health option among expectant parents. Cord blood banking was initially available only to expectant parents with a child afflicted by a disease such as cancer. Increasingly, expectant parents with healthy families are beginning to recognize that cord blood banking is an important preventative health option, and can put themselves in a position to take advantage of emerging technologies that will revolutionize medical treatment in the upcoming decade.

Although the number of parents choosing to bank their newborn's cord blood has doubled in the past five years as more families are becoming aware of this technology, over 98% of expectant parents become aware of cord blood banking only after child-birth, when their newborn's cord blood has been discarded and no longer recoverable. As a new and promising medical option, there is important information about cord blood banking that every expectant parent should be informed before making decision on whether to bank their newborn's cord blood.		 Most of the focus of stem cell banking has been on collection of stem cells at birth. These cells have potential for use in treatment of a greater variety of diseases than do stem cells collected from an adult. While there is general support in the medical community for public banking of cord blood, the question of private banking has raised objections from many governments and nonprofit organizations. The controversy centers on varying assessments of the current and future likelihood of successful uses of the stored blood.

The National Marrow Donor Program (U.S.) estimates that by the year 2015, there will be 10,000 cord blood transplants world-wide per year using publicly banked cord blood. It is therefore vitally important to build public repositories of cord blood donations throughout the world.

The European Union Group on Ethics has issued Opinion No.19 titled Ethical Aspects of Umbilical Cord Blood Banking. The EGE concluded that "the legitimacy of commercial cord blood banks for autologous (self) use should be questioned as they sell a service, which has presently, no real use regarding therapeutic options. Thus they promise more than they can deliver. The activities of such banks raise serious ethical criticisms." However, in the final section of their Opinion, the EGE admits that: "if in the future regenerative medicine developed in such a way that using autologous stem cells became possible, then the fact to have one's own cord blood being stored at birth could increase the chance of having access to new therapies."