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The units of umbilical cord blood are stored in liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees :: SUR

The umbilical cord blood bank of Andaluca, which is situated at the Hospital Civil in Malaga, is the most powerful in Europe and the third best in the world after those in the American cities of New York and Durham. It holds this impressive position thanks to the large number of umbilical cord stem cell units which are stored there, ready to be used in bone marrow transplants for patients, children and adults, who suffer from leukemia or lymphoproliferative disorders.

At present, the bank at the Hospital Civil contains 24,565 units. Since this centre began operating in 1995, 435 bone marrow transplants have been carried out, 79 of which were in 2013. Each year, the centre incorporates more than 1,300 samples of umbilical cord and this is something which has made it an international benchmark in this field.

The stem cells of the umbilical cord are highly effective in a complete regeneration of bone marrow. The banks which store these units are a crucial part of this type of transplant. Quality umbilical cord blood has been part of the success of many bone marrow transplant cases. There is one patient compatible with every 200 units of cord which are stored in the banks.

Encouraging women who give birth to donate their babys umbilical cord is a vital part of the service provided by hospital gynaeology and obstetrics departments and the midwives who prepare the pregnant women for the birth, explains the director of the umbilical cord bank of Andaluca, Isidro Prat.

The samples of cord blood are preserved in tanks of liquid nitrogen at a temperature of minus 196 degrees. One of the advantages for the patients is that the stem cells of the cord are very young and this enables bone marrow transplants to be carried out even if the receiver is not 100 per cent compatible, says Dr Prat.

Patients all over the world

Units from the bank in Malaga have been transplanted into patients from all over the world, including the USA, Australia, France, Germany, Sweden, Jordan, Israel and Spain, among others. When a patient needs a bone marrow transplant you look internationally to find the highest level of compatability, says Isidro Prat. The samples are transported by plane and are preserved in nitrogen.

The umbilical cord bank of Andaluca recently received international accreditation from the Foundation For The Accreditations of Cellular Therapy (FATC NetCord), which is based at the University of Nebraska, in the USA. Since 2010 the Andalusian bank has been one of the elite medical centres which have successfully met the demanding standards which are necessary to be awarded this distincion. Only 21 institutions related with the transplant of stem cells from umbilical cords in the world have been granted this FATC accreditation.

The samples of umbilical cord which are processed and stored at the bank come from the maternity departments of different state-run and private hospitals. The technician who is responisble for the umbilical cord blood bank of Andaluca, Carmen Hernndez, has confimred that at present 24,565 units are being stored there ready for transplants. In 2013, there were 4,751 donations.

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