User:Shadamasik/sandbox

Introduction
Umbilical cord blood banking is the act of preserving the stem cells from the umbilical cord blood for a potential future use in a transplant. Expectant parents make an informed decision at the time of birth on either preserving it for exclusively own use in a private bank, or donating it to public bank, or discarding their baby’s umbilical cord. However rather than having to choose only one of these options the parents have added choices due to hybrid models which offer more benefits than any individual choice.

Hybrid Cord Blood Banking
Hybrid cord blood banking combines the practices of both public and private banking models. There are a number of hybrid banks around the world different propositions those differ mainly in their sample storage and release strategies and client benefits.

Origin of the concept
Public banks have a limited inventory of donor stem cells to serve the public at large. This poses a challenge to patients in finding a matching unit of stem cells at the crucial time of need. On the other hand, private banks hold huge volumes of stem cells for exclusive use of the families that have subscribed to the service. However, most of the conditions treatable by stem cells require matching stem cells from a donor, thereby making the preserved sample futile.

Hybrid banking combines the aspects of both the private and public mode of banking through strategies such splitting of the collected sample for private use and public donation or by means of sharing of the samples among a closed community or releasing the sample for public use and refunding the client etc. Today there are 7 cord blood banks that aim to create a large inventory and make an impact by meeting the unmet needs of patients requiring matching stem cells for treatment whilst catering to individual interests of exclusive family use. These banks have adopted varying models of hybrid stem cell banking.

CRYOLIFE
CryoLife was established in 1996. In 1998, CryoLife in Hong Kong offered the CryoMATCH service, whereby parents who participated, received free HLA (human leukocyte antigen) typing service. Their cord blood unit is listed on an international public registry and is released in case it is a match to a patient in need. However, the parents have right of refusal and may keep the cord blood even if it is a match. If the parents release the cord blood to a patient, they will be reimbursed for their costs.

=== VIRGIN HEALTH BANK === Virgin Health Bank was started with an aim to offer best of both the worlds(private+ public stem cell bank) to meet the needs of the families in the UK. They offer service of 25 years of storage of cord blood banking services in private storage in Family Banking service or public donation in the Community Banking service.

VITA 34
Vita 34 is one of the largest umbilical cord blood banks in Europe and German Speaking countries which has more than 20 years of experience in the stem cell banking. Its not only has an option to store a baby’s stem cells privately but also gives parents an option to donate to the public bank thereby creating a larger inventory and increasing the scope for treatment. It will reimburse the fees paid along with interest once the sample has been released for therapy.

IVIDA
IVIDA is a private cord blood bank in Spain, a country in which there are certain limitations to private banking. To parents who choose to preserve their baby’s stem cells for private use, IVIDA offers storage at their second facility in Switzerland.

IVIDA sends more than 99% of the collected cord blood samples to their facility in Switzerland for private-only storage. There is still an inventory of some cord blood units which are stored privately in Spain, and are available to the Spanish Transplant Organisation.

Under the national regulations of Spain, any cord blood unit banked within the country must submit compulsory declaration of the HLA (human leukocyte antigen) type on an international registry. Hence, every cord blood unit stored in Spain is listed on the international registry as a potential public unit in case it matches a patient.

MYCORD
CelluGen, a Private Limited Stem Cell Research company started its stem cell banking division Mycord in 2008 in Gurgaon, India. Mycord had introduced the first Private Umbilical Cord Pool Banking concept last year in the country. Mycord Precious Pool Plan(MPPP) allow the baby’s family to become members of a combined pool of donor units via its (MPPP).

Mycord advocates that each umbilical cord blood unit privately banked be stored as part of a pool thereby providing an easy access to the best-matched cord blood unit.

Mycord also has an additional feature; Mycord One for One; where if cord blood unit is required by either one of the family members including the child, sibling or parent, instead of depending on the banked cord, parents shall be provided with the best matched cord from those available in the pool

LIFECELL INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD.
LifeCell which was started in 2004 originally as a private bank, launched BabyCord Share Community Stem Cell Banking in 2017.

LifeCell BabyCord Share - Community Stem Cell Banking allows sharing of preserved umbilical stem cells amongst the community of families that have preserved their baby's stem cells at birth. This allows the members to access a pool of stem cells to find a matching unit during the time of transplants, instead of seeking donor stem cells from public cord blood banks or bone marrow registries. In addition to the child, other siblings of the child, the parents and grandparents too can access this community pool, thus providing a comprehensive family benefit for treatments using stem cells.

=== Comparison of Benefits Offered By Hybrid Cord Blood Banks ===