Cord Blood-Derived Platelet Gel in Wound Healing: From Biological Rationale to Clinical Application

Chronic and complex wounds are a major burden worldwide, and a considerable number remain unresponsive to traditional therapy. Cord blood-derived platelet gel (CBPG) is a novel allogeneic wound therapy providing a fibrin-based scaffold enriched with neonatal platelet-derived growth factors, including high concentrations of VEGF, HGF and FGF, directly into the wound bed, without the need for blood collection from the patient. This narrative review provides an overview of the biological features of CBPG, discusses clinical evidence across different wound indications, and assesses ethical, regulatory, and translational issues important to its development. CBPG has been studied in clinical trials in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, cutaneous and oral chronic graft versus host disease after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, partial thickness burns, neonatal pressure injuries and diabetic foot ulcers. Across these conditions, CBPG has shown a consistent safety profile and promising signals of benefit, but evidence is restricted by small sample sizes, diverse methods and short follow-up. CBPG offers a biologically rational alternative to complex wound management in fragile patient populations. To move toward validated clinical application, manufacturing standardisation, regulatory classification, multicentre randomised trials with embedded health-economic endpoints, and transparent governance of cord blood allocation are needed.