Untying the Gordian knot: policies, practices, and ethical issues related to banking of umbilical cord blood

• Published in: The Journal of clinical investigation Vol. 115; no. 10; pp. 2592 - 2597
• Main Authors: Kurtzberg, Joanne, Lyerly, Anne Drapkin, Sugarman, Jeremy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Clinical Investigation 01.10.2005
• Subjects: Adults; Antigens; Biomedical research; Blood Banks - ethics; Blood Banks - legislation & jurisprudence; Blood Donors; Blood Preservation - ethics; Blood Preservation - standards; Bone marrow; Children & youth; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation - ethics; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation - legislation & jurisprudence; Donor Selection - ethics; Donor Selection - legislation & jurisprudence; Donor Selection - organization & administration; Drug dosages; Female; Fetal Blood; Graft versus host disease; Humans; Immune system; Leukemia; Male; Science and Society; Transplants & implants; Umbilical cord; New York; United States > US
• ISSN: 0021-9738; 1558-8238
• DOI: 10.1172/jci26690

Since the first successful transplantation of umbilical cord blood in 1988, cord blood has become an important source of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells for the treatment of blood and genetic disorders. Significant progress has been accompanied by challenges for scientists, ethicists, and health policy makers. With the recent recognition of the need for a national system for the collection, banking, distribution, and use of cord blood and the increasing focus on cord blood as an alternative to embryos as a source of tissue for regenerative medicine, cord blood has garnered significant attention. We review the development of cord blood banking and transplantation and then discuss the scientific and ethical issues influencing both established and investigational practices surrounding cord blood collection, banking, and use.