Cord blood or umbilical cord blood is that blood which is left in the placenta and in the attached umbilical cord after childbirth.

Cord blood is obtained from umbilical cord when the cord has been removed from the newborn. Cord blood gets collected due to the fact that it contains stem cells including hematopoietic cells which are utilized in treating hematopoietic and genetic disorders as well.

It is also possible that if umbilical cord is not prematurely clamped, some placental blood returns to neonatal circulation. In case umbilical cord is not clamped, a physiological postnatal occlusion may occur when it comes in contact with cold air, also when internal gelatinous substance swells up around umbilical arteries and veins. Removal of umbilical cord blood is not at all harmful for the baby but this blood can be thrown away just as a medical waste.

Since cord blood stem cells can safely be infused back into the same person with any hindrance due to body’s immune system and also the cord blood stem cells have specific characteristics as compared to stem cells from other sources, researches have paced up in the field of regenerative medicines (medicines used in treatment to repair or regrow specific tissues of the body).

Physicians perform potential cord blood therapies only on those children who have their own cord blood stem cells available because there is no point of rejection of autologous cells by the immune system. Also researches are being done for using the cord blood stem cells for therapeutic purposes apart from those in cancers or any blood disorder.

Research is also being done to utilize the cord blood in various fields like treating type 1 diabetes, cardiovascular repair, alleviated mobility symptoms, in central nervous system etc. Cord blood can be collected in a number of ways of which the most commonly used in clinics is the “closed technique” which is very similar to the other standard blood collection techniques.

In this method the doctor cannulates the vein of severed umbilical cord with the help of a needle which is connected to the blood bag. Cord blood flows into the bag through the needle. This collected cord blood is then cryopreserved and stored in the cord blood bank so that it can be used in the future transplantation.

Cord blood bank can be private or public. In private blood bank the collected cord blood is stored for the donor families on a payment whereas in public blood bank the cord blood is stored and availed for any general person not related to the donor family.

A very small number of babies that is 1 in 1000 would require or use his/her stored umbilical blood cord ever.
Physicians should keep a note of unsubstantiated claims that the private cord blood banks may impose on future parents that ensures that infants or family members would not have any serious illness due to the use of stem cells contained in the cord blood anytime in the future.