Thousands of donations, fewer than 2% used. Why cord blood transplants are so rare – CBC

Low numbers doesn’t mean low importance, says Canadian Blood Services

Nov 14, 2024

If it weren’t for a stem cell transplant — less than half a cup of blood from a stranger’s umbilical cord — four-year-old Tristan Ford would almost certainly have died as an infant, his parents say.

Now, he’s smaller than other kids his age. But in almost every other way, he’s a normal kid.

Ford suffers from Griscelli syndrome, an inherited condition that could cause severe problems with brain function or the immune system. It’s one of the 80 conditions, ranging from blood cancers, blood disorders, immune disorders and metabolic disorders, that doctors currently treat with a stem cell transplant from cord blood.

Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells. They’re more flexible: because a baby’s immune system is less mature, their stem cells can successfully be transplanted to patients, even if the cells don’t perfectly match. In Tristan’s case, doctors had to give him an intense round of chemotherapy to wipe out his errant immune system entirely, before transplanting the cord blood, which started producing its own healthy cells.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/cord-blood-public-bank-use-1.7382749