Cord Blood Banks St. Louis
The cord blood bank in St. Louis is a public donor bank. It also serves as its stem cell transplantation and research program. It is run in cooperation with other public cord blood banks that serve collectively as a worldwide resource for cord blood for children in need of stem cell transplant. The St. Louis Cord Blood Bank can easily ship and transport cord blood units at the time that it is needed by a patient. The cord blood bank in St. Louis is located at the Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital at the St. Louis University .
The St. Louis commitment
The cord blood bank in St. Louis is committed in the quality collection, characterization, and storage of cord blood or placental blood to provide an alternative and lucrative resource for hematopoietic stem cells. These stem cells are used for stem cell transplants and gene therapy. The cord blood bank in St. Louis is also involved in cord blood collection, donor education, community education, cord blood processing in the laboratory, release of cord blood units, and the evaluation of ensuing transplants. The cord blood bank in St. Louis is studying the effectiveness and safety of cord blood in stem cell transplantation. It is doing further research on its possibilities and potentials for other cures and treatments.
Major program
The major program of the cord blood bank in St. Louis is its active involvement in collecting cord blood, maximizing the volume of cord blood stock, and increasing the deliveries of harvested cord blood. Physicians are involved in the collection process and this encourages and assures mothers, as well as increases their willingness to participate. Its laboratory is licensed by the CAO, AABB and CLIA.
Requirements for participation
To be able to obtain a unit from a cord blood bank, the c ord blood bank in St. Louis has listed down some guidelines for those who are interested in knowing more and those in need of cord blood. Hospitals and transplant centers must have the facilities and experience in donor transplantation. They must participate in the National Marrow Donor Program. The transplanter's credentials must be submitted for documentation. The facility must have an ethical board that has an approved protocol for donor transplantation. A copy of this protocol must be submitted as well. A copy of consent for transplant from the concerned parties must be submitted. A confirmatory testing on the patient will be done and HLA results must be provided from two separate specimens. The procedure for the thawing of a cord blood unit must conform to the rules of the New York Blood Center and an institutional copy should accompany the product. The institution that will be provided with a unit must provide a timely report and data outcome of the transplant as required by the cord blood bank. For more information regarding guidelines and policies, you can visit the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank at www.slcbb.org