To date, approximately 8,000 people world wide have received medical therapies using the stem cells derived from a newborn’s umbilical cord after birth. Used in medical therapies in a way similar to stem cells from bone marrow, cord blood stem cells have the power to build a new blood and immune system.
| 1950 | Scientists describe function of HLA antigens. |
| 1966 | Canadian physicians document blood cell production mechanism of bone marrow (BM) |
| 1974 | First bone marrow transplants performed; compatibility increased via HLA tissue typing. |
| 1974 | First report on human umbilical cord blood (CB) stem cells. |
| 1980 | Similarities found between human CB and BM. |
| 1982 | Research confirms that CB contains hematopoetic stem cells suitable for transplantation. |
| 1983 | CB stem cells suggested as alternative to BM for transplant. |
| 1988 | First successful CB transplant in 6 yr old boy with Fanconi’s Anemia, using sibling’s CB (France). Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide develops global search engine where donors register and publish their HLA type for matching purposes. |
| 1992 | New York Blood Center establishes first public CB bank. |
| 1993 | Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide registers first public CB bank. To date, over 200,000 CB units from 39 cord blood banks and 21 countries are available for transplantation. |
| 1993 | First unrelated CB transplant performed (Duke University, USA). |
| 1995 | First family cord blood bank opens (USA). |
| 1996 | National Health Service (UK) establishes public CB bank. |
| 1996 | Canadian provincial government helps establish Alberta Cord Blood Program public bank. Long-term provincial funding still required. |
| 1997 | Cells for Life opens in Ontario as one of Canada’s first family banks. |
| 1997 | 46 yr old man with chronic myelogenic leukemia successfully treated with CB stem cell transplant. |
| 1997 | Data shows one-year survival rate is doubled if patient receives CB stem cell transplant from a relative (63%) vs unrelated donor (29%). |
| 1998 | New York Cord Blood Center publishes outcomes of first 562 cord blood transplants from unrelated donors. |
| 1998 | American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) accredits first family bank. |
| 1998 | First successful transplant to cure sickle cell anemia. |
| 1998 | Research shows CB transplants result in significantly lower instances of graft vs host disease. |
| 2001 | Research confirms CB is a suitable alternative to BM for adults requiring stem cell transplant. |
| 2002 | Cells for Life establishes first Medical Need Program in Canada, providing free processing/storage to parents requiring child’s CB sample for medical treatment. |
| 2002 | Hema-Quebec initiates public cord blood banking project funded by the QC government. To date, Hema-Quebec has ~ 500 samples stored. |
| 2003 | Japan uses CB in more than half of all transplants (children and adults). |
| 2004 | George W. Bush allocates $10 million to establish National Cord Blood Stem Cell Bank Program; instructs Institute of Medicine (IOM) to study the development of a national cord blood public bank program and CB research plan. |
| 2004 | New England Journal of Medicine article states that cord blood stem cells are acceptable treatments for adults with leukemia. |
| 2004 | Illinois becomes first US State to mandate that all expectant mothers have the option to donate baby’s CB to a public bank at no cost; many States legislate that doctors must provide education on cord blood banking options |
| 2005 | Canadian Hematology Society and the Canadian Blood and Marrow Transplant Group officially support the development of a Canadian National Public Cord Blood Program. No Canadian government funding. |
| 2005 | Founders of Cells for Life cord blood bank establish the Victoria Angel Registry of Hope Public Cord Blood Bank (Canada’s only public cord blood bank funded by a family bank; only public bank in Ontario). |
| 2005 | IOM completes study. Congress dedicates funds to establish a National Cord Blood Program and to increase CB medical treatment research. |
| 2005 | US Congress passes The Stem Cell Research and Therapeutic Act of 2005; allocates over $80 million to create national inventory of 150,000 CB samples. Research expands and transplant physicians are trained in use of CB stem cells. |
| 2005 | Thousands of successful CB transplants done worldwide. |
| 2005 | Use of two CB samples for adults becomes more commonplace; increasing the number of stem cells during treatment. |
| 2005 | UK researchers discover embryonic-like stem cells in CB. |
| 2005 | Researchers begin clinical trial using autologous cord blood stem cells to treat Type 1 diabetes. |
| 2005 | Researchers explore techniques to increase number of CB stem cells in one sample; enabling families to use samples for more than one treatment. |
| 2006 | US Congress distributes funds for CB research/public banking activities. State funding improves access to CB banking. |
| 2006 | Victoria Angel Registry of Hope Public Cord Blood Bank is designated as third fastest growing public bank in the world by the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). Still no Canadian governmental support. |
| 2006 | Research increases into the use of CB stem cells to treat Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Heart and Stroke, Lou Gehrig’s (ALS), spinal cord injuries, sports injuries, and other neurological/ blood/ metabolic orders. |
| 2006 | Stroke-induced mice show reduced lesion size, better neural organization and marked improvement in motor/cognitive function after CB stem cell treatment. |
| 2006 | First Cells for Life sample released to boy with leukemia; received sibling’s sample; now cured. (Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto) |
| 2006 | Cells for Life opens new laboratory and office at Toronto General Hospital. State-of-the-art facility has capacity for 125,000 samples. |
| 2007 | Children with Cerebral Palsy receiving CB transplants show marked improvement in motor function, cognitive function, eye sight and communication following cord blood stem cell transplants. |
| 2007 | CB being used to successfully treat over 70 different diseases worldwide. |
| 2007 | Duke University researchers studied 159 children with inherited metabolic disorders who received donated (unrelated) CB transplants (1995 – 2007). Study demonstrates advantages to CB use over BM transplants. |
| 2007 | Reports on the use of CB in the treatment of Parkinson’s are promising. |
| 2007 | Researcher supported by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation find that transfusion of stored CB stem cells into newly diagnosed children with type 1 diabetes delays progression of disease. |
| 2007 | Study confirms 1998 findings that transplants with genetically-related CB stem cells improves outcomes compared to transplants from an unrelated donor. |
| 2007 | Cells for Life opens Montreal office near downtown hospitals. |
| 2007 | Public CB banking increases worldwide; > 400,000 samples available (> 390,000 from USA). Canada’s contribution is minimal. |
| 2007 | Canadian Provincial Health Ministers request recommendations from Canada Blood Services to develop a national public cord blood program. |
| 2008 | BBMT Article (Nietfeld et al) states that by age 70, the likelihood of needing an autologous stem cell transplant is 1 in 400; 1 in 200 for either an allogeneic or autologous transplant. (based on diseases currently treated with stem cells). |
| 2008 | Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) studies with CB stem cells in mice show promising results; further research required. |
| 2008 | Study finds CB stem cell treatment increases number of neural cells and reduced inflammation in the brain in lab experiments with rats. |
| 2008 | Study finds low doses of CB stem cells in mice reduces the amount of plaques associated with Alzheimer’s Disease; increases blood flow and reduces inflammation in the brain. |
| 2008 | Cell expansion increases the number of cells in a single CB unit thereby making it more effective with larger individuals. Ongoing clinical trial studies treatment of leukemia patients with expanded CB stem cell samples; results promising. |
| 2008 | Studies in the use of CB stem cells for tissue engineering show that stem cells are capable of differentiating into cardiac tissue, as eight new heart valves were grown and tested in a laboratory setting. |
| 2008 | CB stem cell transplant performed in 2 year old boy with Epidermolysis Bullosa (fatal genetic disease caused by lack of critical protein) using sibling’s sample. Seven months after treatment, boy is producing the protein. Treatment may lead to this genetic disorder to be taken off the ‘incurable list’. |
| 2008 | Harvard School of Medicine develops fully functional blood vessels in mice by combining two types of progenitor cells including CB stem cells; may lead to a non-surgical solution in the treatment of heart disease, ischemia (reduced blood flow) and wound healing. |
| 2008 | Cells for Life featured on the National Medical Report. Video may be seen on YouTube at http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=A1ziGfTXa-Y |
| 2009 | In March 2009, US legislation was introduced called the “Family Cord Blood Banking Act” that amends the IRS Tax Code to allow parents to get tax advantages to pay for cord blood banking services. CBR Press Release, San Bruno California, March 26, 2009 |
| 2009 | A total of 20 US states now legislate that health professionals must tell pregnant women of their cord blood banking options during their 2nd trimester. |