Is there a need for specific racial and ethnic cord blood donations?
Yes, now more than ever! The best opportunity for a successful match is typically from someone of the same ethnic background. The tissue traits used to match a cord blood unit with a patient are inherited. Some patients are unable to find a match because of rare or unique tissue traits. In a certain racial or ethnic group, there is a greater likelihood of matching tissue types. This is why it is so important to have a diverse pool of cord blood donations. Help increase the volume of donations to the National Marrow Donor Program so everyone can have a better potential for a match.
