Cord blood bank or cord blood storage is a facility where umbilical cord blood is stored for future purpose. After the mid 1990s cord blood storage facilities have been started. There are two types of these cord blood storage facilities one is public and the other one is private. Cord blood storage facilities have been started in response to the potential for cord blood transplants in treating diseases of the blood and immune systems. In some cases cord blood storage is not allowed in a private cord blood storage facility.

The cord blood stored in the public banks can be used by anyone who needs it. And these public blood banks can accept cord blood as a donation which is supported by the medical community. To see that no one steal the cord blood and sell it privately, there are strict regulations which the public bank staff have to follow all the times. All the donated blood is added to a registry so that no one can steal it even the public blood bank staffs also. The expectant mothers who are interested in donation can contact the blood bank staff before the 34th week of pregnancy. After the donation all the identifying information of the blood are deleted but before that all the required test of the blood are done. No one can challenge the blood after the donation. So that no one can claim its own blood after the donation is made.

Red blood cells are formed by these cord blood which also contains hematopoietic stem cells, progenitor cells. At present there are many uses of these cord blood such as used in the treatment of genetic diseases, cancers and blood disorders problems. These cord bloods are very valuable.

These cord blood collection is performed when the umbilical cord has been cut and it is extracted from the placental end of the cord. It is diverted up to 180ml from the neonate which is equivalent to half of it at a highly sensitive developmental time. Other than these via Placenta cord banking some additional stem cells are also collected. When the cord blood is collected from the placental end of the umbilical cord then this placenta is couriered to the stem cell laboratory where some more stem cells are extracted from it.

After the collection a cryopreservant is added with the cord bloods which allow the cells to survive the cryogenic process. Then this blood is cooled to -90 Celsius and after that it is added to a liquid nitrogen tank which keeps the cord blood unit frozen at -196 Celsius. Here the slow freezing process is done to keep the cells alive while freezing process. Before the storage of blood it undergoes several tests for HIV, Hepatitis B and C disease.

This cord blood is used for various purposes. The first time this blood was successfully used in the treatment of a six-year old body which was afflicted by Fanconi anemia in 1988. After that only cord blood has become very popular and valuable.