Cord blood banking is defined as the collection and storage of stem cells present within the umbilical cord blood of a newborn for future medical use. Umbilical cord blood is rich in a type of stem cell known as a hematopoietic stem cell (HSC). A large market for the storage of these cells has come into existence over the past 30 years, with public and private cord blood banks now present in all major healthcare markets worldwide. [Read more…]
How the Cord Blood and Tissue Market is Changing
The global cord blood and tissue banking market is consolidating, driven by the emergence of holding companies and aggressive M&A activity. This is creating risks for cord blood market participants, as well as new opportunities.
Serious threats to the industry include:
- Low rates of stored cord blood utilization
- Utilization of bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells as alternative sources of stem cells for HSCT
- Growing prevalence of haploidentical transplantation
- Expensive transplant procedures, ranging from $200-300K
- Difficulty educating Obstetricians about the future value of cellular therapies
- Low rates of market penetration
- Low rates of cord blood awareness among expectant parents
Aggressive Cord Blood Banking Market Consolidation
After a rapid growth period through the mid-2000s, the global cord blood banking market reached saturation and stabilized through approximately 2012. Since that time, the market has been aggressively consolidating.
In this article:
What is Cord Tissue Banking?
Cord tissue banking is the processing and storage of a newborn’s umbilical cord tissue or the components contains, such as Wharton’s jelly. Wharton’s jelly is a thick, gelatinous substance present within the human umbilical cord that contains a range of important cell types, such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), fibroblasts and macrophages.
Cord Tissue Banking and Its Benefits
In this article:
Best Cord Blood Banking Conferences
Cord blood conferences have been expanding in number and frequency over the past decade. Cord blood banking is the long-term storage and preservation of umbilical cord blood collected during the birth of a newborn. It is collected, because it is rich in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), a stem cell type that is widely used in transplant medicine and can be used to treat over 80 different conditions. The matrix of the umbilical cord, called Wharton’s Jelly, is also a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a cell type that is now being explored in more than 800 clinical trials worldwide.
Each year, cord blood industry experts gather at these events to discuss trends, research progress, and clinical and technological advances.
Below, we highlight leading cord blood industry events, many of which BioInformant attends, sponsors, or helps to organize. [Read more…]
