Welcome to the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center.
Making a Donation
If you are interested in donating your child's umbilical cord blood, please call the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank to register. This may be done anytime during pregnancy, but preferably between the 28th and 30th week.
Your donation is important because blood is needed for people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
The St. Louis Cord Blood Bank, in cooperation with community medical professionals and donor families, provides a worldwide resource for recipients in need of stem cell transplants.
Facts about The St. Louis Cord Blood Bank at SSM Cardinal Glennon:
Is one of the largest independent, public cord blood banks in the world; unique to this region.
Has saved more than 1,500 lives since it began operation in 1996.
Has more than 18,000 cord blood units available for transplant.
Works in collaboration with more than 430 doctors at 30 hospitals throughout Missouri and Illinois.
Accepts only donations, made available to anyone needing a stem cell transplant. There is no charge to the donor.
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Facts About Cord Blood:
Cord blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta
after a baby is born. It is rich in adult stem cells, but if it isn’t donated, it is thrown away. |
Because the placenta prevents viruses from going from the mother to the baby, there is less risk of viral contamination than other stem cell sources. |
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Cord blood is a source of adult stem cells. It is collected after the baby is born when there is no risk of harm to either the mother or the baby. As a result, there are no ethical issues or controversy connected with the use of these stem cells. |
Cord blood stem cells are used to treat malignant diseases like leukemia and lymphoma, congenital disorders like Fanconi's anemia, Wiskott Aldrich syndrome and Severe Combined Immune Deficiency, and non-malignant diseases such as Severe Aplastic Anemia, thalassemia and sickle cell anemia. |
| With 40 million births each year in America, it is a renewable source of adult stem cells. |
By using two matching units, transplanters are now treating adults as successfully as children. |
| Cord blood is collected, typed, processed and stored, so it is quickly accessible and less expensive. |
Cord blood stem cells do not require an exact match in order to function effectively.
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