Searching Patients, Doctors Will Benefit from Shared Registries

NetCord, NMDP to Expand Accessibility, Efficiency of Cord Blood for Transplantation

A new partnership between two public cord blood banking networks offers expanded access and efficiency for physicians treating more than 35,000 people diagnosed with life-threatening blood diseases each year. The International NetCord Foundation and the National Marrow Donor Program^® (NMDP) Center for Cord Blood are collaborating on a single point of access to the more than 40 banks within their networks. Transplant of donated umbilical cord blood is a treatment option for patients with leukemia, lymphoma and many immune system disorders.

A search for a potential match can be initiated online through either NetCord or NMDP portals by transplant physicians or coordinators. Through the partnership, NetCord and the NMDP will exchange search reports that list potential matched cord blood units for individual patients. Having the ability to simultaneously access both registries on behalf of their patients allows physicians to more efficiently determine whether a potential match exists within one of the registries’ cord blood banks.

Combined, the NetCord and NMDP registries will provide the broadest access to cord blood units in the world. The NetCord database located in Germany currently has records of nearly 115,000 cord blood units, representing the inventory of 23 cord blood banks and cord blood registries in 16 countries, including England, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Japan.

The U.S.-based NMDP Center for Cord Blood now provides access to more than 50,000 units, the largest listing of cord blood units in the United States, from 16 banks within its Network.

“The partnership is based on our shared dedication to helping patients who are in critical need of a cord blood transplant," said Jeffrey W. Chell, M.D., chief executive officer, NMDP. "By providing a new, high level of efficiency to access cord blood units from more than 40 banks worldwide, transplant centers will now have a streamlined process for finding the best potential match for their patients.”

Cord blood transplantation has the potential to significantly increase the opportunity for patients to find an acceptable match. Clinical studies indicate that a cord blood match may not need to be as close as is required for marrow or peripheral blood cell transplants. This is especially promising for many racial minority patients whose tissue types are often difficult to match.

In addition, cord blood is readily available, which benefits transplant patients whose disease stage or other health factors require urgent treatment. A cord blood unit can be selected and delivered to the transplant center in less than one week. NetCord and NMDP cord blood units meet stringent quality standards to ensure the safety of the patient.

According to Peter Wernet, M.D., president of NetCord, “This is only the beginning for patients who are in desperate need of a transplant as we explore ways to expand our partnership to access potentially life-saving treatment options. The partnership provides physicians and their patients with access to a diverse listing of cord blood units, which is critical to finding a successful match.”

About The International NetCord Foundation
NetCord is a network of non-profit public cord blood banks in the United States, Europe, Israel, Japan, and Australia, which have already provided thousands of cord blood stem cell grafts for patients worldwide. NetCord has established specific quality standards in collaboration with the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) in North America on the collection, cryopreservation, storage, and release of cord blood units. Learn more at https://www.netcord.org/index.html.

Learn more about cord blood donation.