Sibling Donor Cord Blood Program: Children’s Hospital Research Center Oakland and Beyond

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) serves as an alternative source of hematopoietic stem cells in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Compared with bone marrow transplantation, cord blood transplantation carries a lower risk of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD). The Sibling Cord Blood Donor Program was developed at Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland in 1998 as a resource to collect, characterize, and release cord blood units (CBUs) from siblings of children affected by a nonmalignant disorder such as sickle cell anemia or thalassemia that might be considered for transplantation. The public cord blood banking program expanded to include malignant disorders as well and was later transitioned to ViaCord company in 2007. After collection, CBUs are tested for Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-compatibility, screened for infectious diseases, processed, and stored for future use within 48 h of collection. To date, over 3,000 sibling CBUs have been collected nationally. Over 315 HLA-identical sibling cord transplants were registered with the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) from 117 transplant centers between 2000 and 2011. The most common indication for sibling cord blood transplant was the hemoglobinopathies.