Facts and misconceptions Misconception: Privately stored cord blood stem cells may only be used by the child from whom they were collected. FACT: Cord blood stem cells are 100% compatible with the person from which they were collected from. However, they may also be used by the parents and siblings of the child since there is a significant possibility of histocompatibility among family members. The allogeneic use of a sample is only allowed if the sample was processed and stored in a fully licensed bank such as Future Health. This increases both the scope and the chances of use of the sample. If a sample is stored in a bank that does not have a Human Tissue Bank licence then it can only be given back to the donor (autologous use only).
Misconception: Cord blood stem cells can be used in children but not adults. FACT: “Studies consistently demonstrate that umbilical cord blood (UCB) is an effective alternative source of haematopoietic stem cells (HSC) for adult transplantation with at least comparable results to other HSC sources for adult patients36.� The first adult transplantation in the UK was carried out in 2002 in Newcastle.
26