On November 15th, World Cord Blood Day 2022 celebrations will be held around the globe (free online medical conference and educational events worldwide – open to the public). Learn how cord blood is used to treat 80+ life-threatening diseases including many blood cancers and holds tremendous potential in the treatment of HIV, autism and cerebral palsy.

Cord blood is the blood left in the umbilical cord and placenta following the birth of a child. It is rich in life-saving stem cells. If collected and stored properly, these cells can be used in stem cell transplants to treat over 80 life-threatening diseases including leukemia, lymphoma, and thalassemia to name a few.

Since 1988, more than 40,000 cord blood transplants have been performed worldwide. Yet, cord blood is still thrown away as medical waste in the majority of births. Education is key to changing this practice and World Cord Blood Day 2022 will provide the perfect opportunity for OBGYNs, midwives, transplant doctors, nurses, parents, students and government authorities to learn about this vital medical resource.

Organized by Save the Cord Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit, World Cord Blood Day 2022 is officially sponsored by QuickSTAT Global Life Science Logistics, recognized leader in medical shipping and healthcare logistics. Inspiring Partners for this event include the Be the Match (NMDP), World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA-Netcord), Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB), Cord Blood Association, and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT).

In addition to the many live events being held globally by WCBD Community Champions, a Facebook livestream will launch the official WCBD 2022 conference at 10am ET on November 15th. The full conference will be available to view on-demand via Eventbrite until December 15th (free, open to the public, registration required). New this year, a roundtable discussion will be held post-conference via LinkedIn (details coming soon) providing an opportunity for further exploration of session topics.

The Arizona Public Cord Blood program is very unique in its structure.

Run by the Arizona Department of Health Services and funded through the State Lottery in Arizona, this public program allows Arizona families to give the gift of life through cord blood donation in participating hospitals. The program is a shining star in the portfolio of public programs provided by the state as it not only functions as a life-saving program, but it provides a dynamic route for cellular therapy innovation, partnerships, education and awareness.

For these reasons, the AZ Public Cord Blood team felt it was time to present the details of this program via an abstract poster at Cord Blood Connect 2​022. By presenting this information at Cord Blood Connect, the team hopes to encourage other states to copy their model and establish their own public cord blood programs.  

In addition, this information has been recently published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine, the official scientific journal of the Cord Blood Association: https://academic.oup.com/stcltm/article/11/Supplement_1/S39/6692668​


The Arizona Public Cord Blood Program:  It is a model that works. Let's all learn from it!  


To learn more about the Arizona Public Cord Blood Program, click here.

To learn more about Cord Blood Connect, click here.

Did you know that public bone marrow registries like BeTheMatch also often register cord blood donations? True!

For decades, doctors have relied on bone marrow donors to provide much needed healthy stem cells for patients in need of a stem cell transplant. 

As the official education partner of the Arizona Public Cord Blood program, we are so proud of Arizona families who have chosen to donate their baby's cord blood following the birthing process. These donations are collected for free at participating Arizona hospitals and, once quality of the collection is confirmed, these units are listed on the public registry at BeTheMatch. 

We and patients around the globe are indebted to these incredible families! Every baby is born a hero thanks to their generosity and the Arizona Public Cord Blood program. 


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September 17th, 2022 is World Marrow Donor Day.

To celebrate this important day, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to these amazing families and the devoted professionals who run this program. THANK YOU!

Join us in saying thanks on social media:  #WMDD2022    #ThankYouDonor    #WMDD

Learn more about this important awareness day at www.WorldMarrowDonorDay.org