Cord blood banking resumes Oct. 17

Canadian Blood Services is excited to share that we will resume cord blood banking on Oct. 17, 2022, following a temporary suspension due to a global shortage of cord blood processing kits. The kits, essential to our national public cord blood bank, are used to separate and process the stem cells in cord blood units before storage. 

During the suspension, we continued to collect umbilical cord blood for quality assurance activities such as training, validation and product/process improvement, and for our Cord Blood for Research Program. Now, the availability of kits allows us to resume collecting cord blood stem cells for transplant. 

When you donate cord blood, you never know whose life you might save — or the many ways that person will go on to support family and friends, chase their dreams or help their community. They could graduate sixth grade with a spirit award, or pursue a passion for theatre. You won’t just make a difference, you’ll make all the difference. 

Donors from all ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to donate cord blood. A diverse public cord blood bank means we have better chances of finding a matching donor for a patient in need. Parents-to-be can register to donate cord blood at our designated hospitals in Vancouver, B.C., Edmonton, Alta., and the Ontario cities of Ottawa and Brampton.  

If you have questions about cord blood donation, please read our frequently asked questions. You may also contact us at cordblood@blood.ca or call 1 888 2 DONATE.