Cord Blood Unit Acquisition

Fresh umbilical cord blood units (CBUs) are now available for use in research projects across our research community, coordinated by the Brigham and Women's Center for Clinical Investigation (CCI) Cord Blood Donation Program. This program offers high-quality biological tissue samples that can support a wide range of pre-clinical and translational research.

Eligibility and Application Process

Who Can Request CBUs?

Cord blood units are available for research studies that have received IRB approval to work with de-identified human tissue samples.

How to Request CBUs:

To request access to cord blood units, please follow these steps:

  1. Submit your protocol to Harvard Catalyst Protocol Review for evaluation. Ensure your protocol includes detailed information on the intended use of discarded human tissue.
  2. Complete the Cord Blood Request Form. Once reviewed and approved, your contact details will be added to our CBU distribution list. Please ensure the contact information you provide on this form is correct.
    1. You will need to submit a Cord Blood Request form for additional CBUs.
  3. When CBUs are available, the MRB lab will contact the oldest pending request from our list of approved studies to coordinate a pick-up time.

Non MGB researchers will need to complete a Material Transfer Agreement prior to approval.

We have approved agreements with following local institutions, PIs from the following institutions will only need to complete 2 addendums to the agreement inclusive of the MTA:

  • Dana Farber Cancer Institute
  • Boston Children’s Hospital

If you do not belong to one of these institutions please reach out to cci@bwh.harvard.edu for next steps.

Common Reasons for CBU Distribution

While the primary goal of the Cord Blood Donation Program is to bank umbilical cord blood for use in transplant, CBUs must meet strict eligibility requirements to be included in the registry at our banking partner, the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank (CCBB) at Duke University.

CBUs are typically distributed to research for the following reasons:

  • Low blood volume
  • The unit would expire before reaching our banking partner, CCBB.
  • The donor has medical exclusions (e.g. a history of cancer).

All donors are screened for infectious diseases and other factors that might affect blood donation, ensuring that CBUs are safe for research use. All donors are screened and found free from:

  • Any active or history of infectious blood disease (any Hepatitis, Syphilis, HIV or AIDS, travel related diseases like Ebola or Malaria)
  • COVID-19 or Flu like symptoms within the last 30 days
  • Positive tuberculosis skin test without evidence of BCG vaccination

Materials and Equipment for CBU Transport

To ensure the safe handling and transport of CBUs, please familiarize yourself with the materials provided with each CBU and the requirements for transport containers.

CBU Materials Provided

Cord Blood Units will be provided with the following materials:

  • PALL Sterile Cord Blood Collection Bag containing 35mL of Citrate Phosphate Dextrose (CPD) anticoagulant solution, and between 36-210mL of umbilical cord blood. CBUs are stored at room temperature to extend viability of hematopoietic stem cells
  • The CBU will be labeled with a Demand Label including:
    • Date and time of collection
    • Initials of the processing technician
    • Recorded blood volume (this is calculated by subtracting 65mL from the total weight to account for the CPD and PALL bag)
    • 48 hour expiration date and time. Cord Blood may be used in research purposes after the listed expiration date, cells have been found viable up to 90 hours post collection.
  • The bag tubing is secured with three heat seals to ensure the integrity of the CBU and prevent leakage.

The CBU is placed inside a biohazard specimen sample bag for additional safety during transport.

Specimen Transport

Please ensure that any staff responsible for picking-up CBUs from the MRB lab have completed training on transporting biologic materials within the past 24 months, as required by local and state regulations.

Researchers are responsible for providing their own transport containers that meet the requirements outlined by BWH Environmental Services and Research Compliance office to comply with local and federal regulations. These containers are necessary to ensure the safe transport of CBUs from the MRB lab to your research facility.

Your transport container must meet the following minimum requirements:

  • Hard sided container, at least 4 inches by 4 inches.
  • The container must be lined with absorbent material to handle any potential spillage.
  • Your container must be clearly labeled with:
    • “Exempt Human Specimen”
    • Intended recipient’s address and MRB lab address

To help ensure compliance, stickers with the required “Exempt Human Specimen” label and our MRB lab address will be provided to researchers. These stickers will also include space for your staff to fill in your lab address. The MRB lab staff will offer these stickers when your staff come for your first CBU pick-up.

For researchers outside of the Longwood medical area, an approved courier service must be used for transportation, which may incur additional costs.

 

Scroll to Top
Scroll to Top