Everything You Need To Know About Cord Blood Awareness Month 2025

July is one of our favourite seasons. Why? It marks the onset of monsoons in most cities. People who love rain particularly wait for this season to enjoy the weather. But do you know, what’s more special about July? It's also the time when Cord Blood Awareness Month is observed! Yes, you heard us right! This month's objective is to educate individuals on the benefits of cord blood stem cells for their baby’s and family’s healthy future. Sounds interesting and informative?

Continue reading the blog to learn more about the history and importance of Cord Blood Awareness Month. Additionally, we will discuss how and where cord blood is preserved, followed by key takeaway points. 

Cord Blood Awareness Month: History

In 1988, the first cord blood transplant was performed in Paris to treat Fanconi anaemia, a rare genetic condition that impairs the development of red blood cells. Patients with Fanconi anaemia have a higher chance of acquiring cancer and frequently experience organ abnormalities and bone marrow failures. ^{1 2}

Despite the hurdles posed by this severe disease, doctors were able to develop a viable treatment for a youngster with Fanconi anaemia. The patient underwent transplant treatment using their sibling's cord blood stem cells. This paved the way for new treatment options and encouraged optimism in the potential of cord blood stem cells!  ^{1 2 3}

Numerous cord blood transplants have been conducted, showing a high success rate in treating metabolic problems, blood malignancies, and genetic diseases. ⁴

Cord Blood Awareness Month: Timeline

Let's go back in time and identify what paved the way for cord blood preservation: ^{4 5 6}

• 1988 - First successful Cord Blood Transplant
• 1992 - First Public Cord Blood Bank
• 1993 - First Unrelated Donor Cord Blood Transplant
• 1996 - First Cord Blood Transplant In India

What Is Its Significance?

Every day, numerous babies are born, yet only a few expectant parents know the superpower of cord blood stem cells. These powerful stem cells can treat various blood disorders, cancers and life-threatening medical conditions once thought to be incurable and untreatable. Thanks to the discovery of cord blood stem cells that can help save the lives of children born with conditions such as leukaemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anaemia, etc. ^{7 8}

As we mentioned earlier, July is National Cord Blood Awareness Month. This month aims to inform all aspiring parents about the powers of rich stem cells found in cord blood and the importance of preserving them. 

Why Consider Cord Blood Banking At Birth?

This Cord Blood Awareness Month, let us tell you the importance of cord blood banking. Here’s why you should preserve your baby’s precious umbilical cord stem cells at birth: ^{7 9}

1. Stem cells extracted from cord blood, called hematopoietic stem cells, can be used to treat several diseases, including cancers, immune deficiencies and genetic disorders.
2. Cord blood is collected after birth through a painless procedure that poses no risk to the mother or her baby. Whereas bone marrow sample extraction procedures can be painful.
3. Cord blood transplants require only 6-8 parameters to be matched. Whereas the bone marrow transplant process requires 9-10 parameters to be matched.  ^{10 11}
4. Cord blood is collected, processed, and preserved in advance. Thus ready for future use, without the hassle of finding a donor. The bone marrow transplant process can be quite a tiring experience, especially if the donor drops out at the last minute. ¹²
5. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD),  a serious and life-threatening complication of a bone marrow transplant, occurs when the donor's immune system reacts against the recipient's tissue. However, umbilical cord blood has a lower risk of graft vs. host disease.  ¹³
6. Having an exact HLA match is crucial for successful bone marrow transplants. Yet, perfection is not crucial for cord blood transplants, as a sample with a few mismatched antigens could still be effective. ¹⁴

However, the objective of both bone marrow and cord blood stem cell transplants is to replace diseased cells with healthy ones. After reading the above benefits, we can say that umbilical cord stem cells can prove to be a better option.  

How Is Cord Blood Collected?

Wish to preserve your baby's cord blood stem cells but are clueless about how it works? Let’s learn about it! ^{7 15}

The umbilical cord of the newborn is first clamped and then cut shortly after birth. Using a sterile needle, the medical personnel or gynaecologist will draw blood into a cord blood collection bag. Before the placenta is delivered, approximately 90 ml to 100 ml of blood is collected and sealed in the collecting bag. This whole process takes around 10 minutes. Since it’s done after delivering the baby, the process is painless and poses no risk to the mother and her baby. ^{7 16}

Where Is Cord Blood Stored?

After collection, the processed cord blood unit is prepared for cryo-preservation. It is enclosed in cryo-bags (with a volume of 25ml), which are then frozen and placed in cryo-vessels. The cells are stored at -196℃ and kept in vapour-phase liquid nitrogen in stainless steel cryo tanks. ¹⁷

The Final Takeaway

In the initial days, cord blood banking was relatively a new concept and very few people knew about it. However, numerous studies conducted over the last few decades have shown how cord blood stem cells can be used to treat a wide range of illnesses. So, this Cord Blood Awareness Month, let us come together and raise awareness about the importance of cord blood.

If you’re an expectant parent and wish to preserve your baby’s vital cord blood stem cells, you can opt for LifeCell’s Community stem cell banking, a shared community pool where all the members can easily access the stem cells in case the need for a transplant ever arises. When you choose LifeCell to preserve your baby's vital umbilical cord blood stem cells, not only your baby but also your entire family get a chance to obtain matching cord blood units if the need arises). Besides that, you get free unlimited stem cell retrievals and financial aid of ₹20 lakhs towards treatment expenditures. Furthermore, it gives you access to 75k+ qualified, consented cord blood units and protects your baby and entire family against the impact of 80+ life-threatening medical conditions. 

Want to learn more? Visit our website www.lifecell.in or call us at 1800 266 5533 and make an informed decision towards your baby’s & entire family’s healthy future. 

FAQ

Q1 What Is Umbilical Cord Blood?

The blood in your baby’s umbilical cord and placenta is commonly known as cord blood. It is rich in hematopoietic (blood-producing) stem cells. ¹⁸

Q2 What Is The Maximum Storage Time For Cord Blood Stem Cells?

Cord blood stem cells can be retained for decades if properly frozen and preserved. ¹⁹

Q3 Will Cord Blood Stem Cell Therapy Be Limited To The Baby?

No. Through the Community Stem Cell Banking Programme of LifeCell, cord blood stem cells can be used to treat parents, siblings, and even grandparents. ²⁰

Q4 What Do Community Cord Blood Banks Do?

Community cord blood banks are shared pools of cord blood in which families can maintain their newborn's stem cells exclusively. This makes it possible for locals to locate the ideal donor stem cell match.

Q5 How Frequently Has Cord Blood Been Utilised?

For the treatment of haematological cancers, immune system and blood diseases, and inborn metabolic abnormalities, more than 35,000 transplants have been carried out in both children and adults. ²¹

Q6 What Are The Types Of Cord Blood Banking?

There are two types of cord blood banking- private and public cord blood banks. ²¹