National Cord Blood Program

At any given time there are almost 1,000 Canadian patients looking for an unrelated stem cell match to survive. This is exceedingly difficult for many ‘hard-to-match’ patients when their best chance at finding a compatible donor may lie within umbilical cord blood stem cells. Cord blood stem cells have unique abilities that make them easier to use for transplantation; even when a match between donor and patient is not perfect. This is compounded by patients of diverse heritage where their only hope for a match may come from umbilical cord blood, and not from an adult stem cell donor. Ethically-diverse donors continue to be largely underrepresented on the Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell and Marrow Network. By building a national public cord blood bank dedicated to the unique needs of Canadians, patients will have an additional opportunity for finding their match and thereby surviving their illnesses and cancers.

“We are elated to be launching this first phase of the National Public Cord Blood Bank with The Ottawa Hospital” says Dr. Heidi Elmoazzen, Director of the National Public Cord Blood Bank. “A lot of hard work has been put into Ottawa and we are very excited to be able to continue building Canada’s first national public cord blood bank in Brampton (GTA), Edmonton and Vancouver by mid-2014.”

Donate your Baby’s Cord Blood

Cord blood stem cell transplants are used for treating over 80 blood related diseases and disorders. Blood stem cells are collected from the umbilical cord/placenta after delivery of the baby. For more information about the cord blood bank in regards to how it works, where to donate, and the benefits of donating, please visit the Canadian Blood Services website.

OtherHalf and Canadian Blood Services Forged Partnership in Support of the National Public Cord Blood Bank

In an effort to encourage mothers of Chinese descent to consider donating their baby’s cord blood, Canadian Blood Services and OtherHalf Chinese Stem Cell Initiative have signed a partnership agreement to help build awareness and educate the Chinese community about cord blood donation. The partnership will also promote opportunities for anyone interested in making a financial donation to the campaign for all Canadians and help build Canadian Blood Services’ national public cord blood bank.