Opportunities and potential of Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB) stem cell banking

Abstract

Background The field of biobanking in medicine has never been as important as it is today, in the 21st century. It supports the new approaches of medicine like personalized medicine, targeted therapies and stem cell research. Since the first succesfull cord blood transplantation, umbilical cord blood (UCB) has become an important option as a source of hematopoietic stem cells. At the same time, cord blood stem cells are not widely used in clinical practice. However, more people could be treated by using stored cord stem cells. Furthermore, so far the demands from different user sides (pharma companies, research groups, patients) have not been analysed. The aim of my thesis is to evaluate the potential of a new kind of UCB stem cell banking system in Hungary (namely hybrid form of UCB stem cell banking), examining the currently operating European and Hungarian UCB stem cell banks. In summary, the final goal is to optimize the usage the stored cord blood stem cells. Materials and methods A questionnaire-based survey was performed in two target groups (namely patient and donor group) and short interviews were conducted in a third target group, (physicians). Data from questionnaires were analysed with SPSS statistic software (descriptive statistics). Results Based on the opinion and knowledge assessment conducted in different groups, it can be said that both stem cell therapy and cord blood storage are known in different age groups. As for willingness, there was a positive attitude towards both the possibilities of storage and its utilization, as well as the use and application of stem cell therapy. Conclusion There is a need to place greater emphasis on the information in the future, as this can clearly increase donation willingness among donors. Furthermore, it is important to point out that the new hybrid banking system in Hungary offers an improved choice of storage options.

Date of Award	2018
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Medical University Graz
Supervisor	Berthold Huppertz (Supervisor)