The therapeutic use of cord blood has come a long way in the past three decades. Thousands of transplants have already saved lives, and research is uncovering more ways cord blood can heal people.

But it will take commitment at both the federal and state levels to help cord blood reach its potential. Currently 20 states, covering 65 percent of U.S. births, have enacted legislation. Find out what’s happening with legislation state-by-state. Then consider helping Save the Cord Foundation take action.

1983:

The concept of using umbilical cord blood as an alternative source of stem cells for transplant was first proposed.

1988:

In Paris, France a six-year-old boy suffering from Fanconi's Anemia was the first to receive a successful cord blood transplant to regenerate blood and immune cells.

1992:

The National Institutes of Health funded the first public bank for umbilical cord blood at The New York Blood Center.

1993:

Duke University conducts the first unrelated cord blood transplant.

1995:

The first private/family bank opens.

1998:

The first successful transplant to cure sickle cell anemia takes place at the Emory University Department of Pediatrics. Doctors pronounced the child cured one year after the transplant, according to the National Cord Blood Program.

2000:

World's first umbilical cord blood transplant performed using pre-implantation genetic testing to ensure a perfect tissue match.

2004:

Funding is provided by the Health and Human Services Appropriations Act to create a National Cord Blood Program.

Illinois enacts the first state-wide legislation mandating that women giving birth have the option to donate their babies’ cord blood to a public bank at no cost.

2005:

The Institute of Medicine releases its cord blood study, including a recommendation that women must be provided with a balanced perspective on their options for cord blood banking or donation.

U.S. Congress passes the Stem Cell Research and Therapeutic Act of 2005 (H.R. 2520) to create a national inventory of 150,000 high quality cord blood samples.

Researchers in the UK discover stem cells similar to embryonic stem cells in cord blood.

2006:

More than 8,000 cord blood transplants have been performed worldwide.

2007:

President George W. Bush issues an Executive Order directing research efforts to focus on alternative sources of pluripotent stem cells, including umibilical cord blood.

Federal legislation

Presidential Executive Order Expanding Approved Stem Cell Lines in Ethically Responsible Ways

In recognition of the growing research on pluripotent stem cells derived from non-embryonic stem cell sources, including umbilical cord blood, President George W. Bush issued an Executive Order on June 20, 2007 authorizing research on alternative sources of pluripotent stem cells to be explored without "violation of human dignity or demeaning human life."
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The Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005

The Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005, HR 2520, became law on December 20, 2005. The act will increase the inventory of cord blood stem cells accessible to the public by 150,000 units before 2009, which creates the possibility of matching unrelated stem cells to more than 90 percent of patients in need.
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