I have umbilical cord blood. Can I use it to treat my child?

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You kept your child's UCB at birth: The current recommendation for UCB treatment is to use a dose of at least 20 million cells per kg. Contact the cord blood bank where you stored the UCB unit and ask for the unit's details. You will receive a file with the unit's info including "Total Nucleated Cells" (TNC). Divide this number by the weight of the child in kg. If the result is higher than 20 million, the dose is considered sufficient enough (Please note that this is a recommendation based on research. Various private clinics will give the child his UCB unit even if it is smaller than the recommended size and could very well still benefit him/her.  The unit will be tested to make sure it is sterile, but otherwise, it can be used).

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You did not save the UCB of your child at birth but those of his/her sibling: When using cord blood from a sibling, in addition to the size of the dose, there should be an HLA match of at least 50% in a six-marker test. A tissue matching test (HLA matching) is performed by a simple saliva test. It can be performed in laboratories in your country or abroad. We conducted it a few years ago through LabCorp Lab, the lab that works with Duke University in the US.

Blood type: - Blood type is checked if the recipient of the UCB is a girl whose blood type is Rh-. Women with Rh- who become pregnant from a man with Rh+, will need to receive several injections during pregnancy in order not to create resistance and reject future embryos. If the child receives Rh+ cord blood, it may cause a miscarriage of fetuses with Rh+ in adulthood.