cbr lab

Families in Need

Designated Treatment ProgramSM (DTPSM)
for Families in Need

Printer-Friendly page

As a public service, Cord Blood Registry® (CBR) provides the Designated Treatment Program (DTP), free* of charge, to families wishing to store their newborn's umbilical cord blood stem cells for a family member diagnosed with a life-threatening disease treatable by donor stem cells. This includes diseases such as sickle cell anemia and acute and chronic leukemia.

This community program allows families in need, regardless of their financial situation but who meet certain medical criteria, to avail themselves of genetically related donor stem cells, the preferred choice by transplant physicians. Studies have shown that related cord blood stem cell transplants provide better survival rates than unrelated stem cell transplants, with fewer serious complications.1, 2

Cord blood stem cells stored at a bank, like CBR, are immediately available if needed for transplantation and the collection poses no risk to the donor, unlike bone marrow stem cells. In fact over 15,000 cord blood transplants have been performed worldwide.3

All families residing in the United States who meet the qualification criteria can have access to this valuable medical resource without any charge.* In fact there are currently nearly 3,000 patients in the DTP.

How to Qualify

In order to qualify, the family member must be diagnosed with a disease that is currently treatable with donor cord blood or other hematopoietic stem cell source, be a first-degree blood relative (full-sibling or parent) to the newborn and have an oncologist/hematologist or other treating physician agree that the stem cells can be used for treatment. If eligible, CBR will provide the collection kit and process and store the newborn's cord blood sample, for 5 years without any cost to the family.

Click here for a list of diseases treated using stem cells including those eligible for the DTP.

For more information on the DTP, please contact Cord Blood Registry at 1-888-932-6568.


* CBR is not responsible for fees charged by your caregiver or hospital associated with the collection of your newborns cord blood sample or any fees associated with shipping the sample to our laboratory.

References

  1. Brunstein CG, Setubal DC, Wagner JE. Expanding the role of umbilical cord blood transplantation. Br J Haematol. 2007;137(1):20-35.
  2. Gluckman E, Rocha V, Boyer-Chammard A, et al. Outcome of cord-blood transplantation from related and unrelated donors. Eurocord Transplant Group and the European Blood and Marrow Transplantation Group. N Engl J Med. 1997;337(6):373-381.
  3. Frey MA, Guess C, Allison J, Kurtzberg J. Umbilical cord stem cell transplantation. Semin Oncol Nurs. 2009;25(2):115-119.
Banking cord blood does not guarantee that the cells will provide a cure or be applicable for every situation. For inherited genetic conditions, the child will not be able to use his or her own stem cells. A matched sibling's stem cells would be the first choice. Ultimate use will be determined by the treating physician. Treatment for brain injury and juvenile diabetes is experimental and currently requires the use of your own cord blood. Medical treatments using family banked cord tissue are in early research and are not available today; there is no guarantee that therapies will be developed in the future.
Share this page with family and friends: