[Cord blood banking: from theory to an application]

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Transplantation Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Cord blood units are a crucial source of hematopoietic stem cells for allogeneic transplantation.
• France operates a network of over 70 maternity hospitals and 11 public cord blood banks for unit collection.
• Unrelated cord blood donation is an altruistic, anonymous, and free act governed by strict medical selection criteria.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the process and growth of cord blood banking in France.
• To enhance the French registry of volunteer stem cell donors.
• To increase the availability of diverse cord blood units for transplantation.

Main Methods:

• Collection of cord blood units across a national network.
• Selection of donors based on medical criteria.
• Cryopreservation of units meeting specific cell count thresholds (≥100 × 10^7 total nucleated cells, ≥1.8 × 10^6 CD34+ cells).
• Qualification through viral and functional testing, and clinical follow-up of newborns.

Main Results:

• Significant growth in cord blood banking in France over the past five years.
• Expansion of the French registry with increased donor numbers and diversity.
• Increased availability of cord blood units for transplantation.

Conclusions:

• The French cord blood banking system effectively collects, qualifies, and cryopreserves units for transplantation.
• The program successfully enhances donor registry size and diversity.
• Cord blood banking in France is crucial for meeting transplantation needs.