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Banking on cord blood stem cells

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 8, pages 555–563 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Umbilical cord blood gifted to non-profit public cord blood banks is now routinely used as an alternative source of haematopoietic stem cells for allogeneic transplantation for children and adults with cancer, bone marrow failure syndromes, haemoglobinopathies and many genetic metabolic disorders. Because of the success and outcomes of public cord banking, many companies now provide private cord banking services. However, in the absence of any published transplant evidence to support autologous and non-directed family banking, commercial cord banks currently offer a superfluous service.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks R. Corbett, A. Turnbull and S. Beasley for their support and advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Paediatrics, Michael J. Sullivan is at the Children's Cancer Research Group, and Children's Haematology Oncology Centre, Christchurch School of Medicine, University of Otago, 2 Riccarton Ave, Christchurch, 8005, New Zealand. michael.sullivan@otago.ac.nz,

    Michael J. Sullivan

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FURTHER INFORMATION

M. J. Sullivan's homepage

American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMt)

Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW)

Caitlin Raymond International Registry

Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIRBMT)

Cord Blood Forum

Eurocord

European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT)

Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapies (FACT)

Joint Accreditation Committee

National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)

Netcord

Parent's Guide to Cord Blood

World Marrow Donor Association

DATABASES

National Cancer Institute

acute lymphocytic leukaemia

graft-versus-host disease

leukaemia

lymphoma

multiple myeloma

neuroblastoma

non-Hodgkin lymphoma

osteosarcoma

rhabdomyosarcoma

Wilms tumour

OMIM

Fanconi anaemia

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Sullivan, M. Banking on cord blood stem cells. Nat Rev Cancer 8, 555–563 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc2418

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