What tests are taken to ensure the safety of the umbilical cord blood unit?
Each collected CBU undergoes comprehensive testing to ensure the safety and viability of the stem cells. These include infectious disease testing for the AIDS virus (HIV), hepatitis, West Nile Virus, and HTLV I/II virus. Examples of other tests are performed on the unit include blood typing (ABO and Rh typing), HLA typing, fungal and bacterial cultures, and other tests to determine the viability of the unit (e.g., colony forming units or CFU assays and hematopoietic progenitor assays such as total nucleated cells and CD34). On occasion, genetic tests may also be performed when deemed necessary- for example if there is a family history. Additionally, the mother’s blood is tested for infectious diseases as described above, but is also tested for syphilis and cytomegalovirus. You are encouraged to call StemCyte if you have any questions about these tests.
