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. 2010 Sep;50(9):1980-7.
doi: 10.1111/j.1537-2995.2010.02720.x.

Differences in quality between privately and publicly banked umbilical cord blood units: a pilot study of autologous cord blood infusion in children with acquired neurologic disorders

Jessica Sun  1 , June Allison, Colleen McLaughlin, Linda Sledge, Barbara Waters-Pick, Stephen Wease, Joanne Kurtzberg
Affiliations

Differences in quality between privately and publicly banked umbilical cord blood units: a pilot study of autologous cord blood infusion in children with acquired neurologic disorders

Jessica Sun et al. Transfusion. 2010 Sep.

Abstract

Background: A pilot study was conducted to determine the safety and feasibility of intravenous administration of autologous umbilical cord blood (CB) in young children with acquired neurologic disorders. Most CB units (CBUs) were electively stored in private CB banks. Unlike public banks, which utilize specific criteria and thresholds for banking, private banks generally store all collected CBUs.

Study design and methods: CBUs of eligible patients containing more than 1 × 10⁷ cells/kg were shipped to Duke from the banks of origin after confirming identity by HLA typing. On the day of infusion, CBUs were thawed and washed in dextran-albumin and infused intravenously. Patients were medicated with acetaminophen, diphenhydramine, and methylprednisolone before transfusion. Data regarding patients, infusions, and CBUs were collected retrospectively. Characteristics of CBUs were compared to existing data from CBUs publicly banked at the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank.

Results: From March 2004 to December 2009, 184 children received 198 CB infusions. Three patients had infusion reactions, all responsive to medical therapy and stopping the infusion. Median precryopreservation volume (60 mL vs. 89 mL, p < 0.0001), total nucleated cell count (4.7 × 10⁸ vs. 10.8 × 10⁸, p < 0.0001), and CD34 count (1.8 × 10⁶ vs. 3.0 × 10⁶, p < 0.0001) were significantly lower than publicly stored CBUs. Postthaw sterility cultures were positive in 7.6% of infused CBUs.

Conclusion: IV infusion of autologous CB is safe and feasible in young children with neurologic injuries. Quality parameters of privately banked CBUs are inferior to those stored in public banks. If efficacy of autologous CB is established clinically, the quality of autologous units should be held to the same standards as those stored in public banks.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest relevant to the manuscript submitted to TRANSFUSION.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Patient referrals. *Some patients or CBUs have more than one exclusion criterion.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Distributions of quality variables (A–C, collection volume, TNC, and CD34 of autologous CBUs [●] and entire Carolinas Cord Blood Bank inventory [■]; D, TNC of autologous CBUs [●] and NCBI-eligible Carolinas Cord Blood Bank CBUs [■]).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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