What is Cord Blood?

Umbilical cord blood is the blood remaining in the placenta and in the umbilical cord after the birth of the baby.  The cord blood contains a potent mixture of cells, including stem cells, the "building blocks" of all cells in the body and hematopoietic cells (HPCs), which have the unique ability to develop into all the different blood cell types.

Umbilical cord blood is well-recognised for treating hematopoietic (blood) disorders, including Leukaemia and some cancers. Removing the umbilical cord blood is not harmful to the baby or mother and the blood would normally be thrown away as medical waste.