Ethical aspects of umbilial cord blood banking

In order to have cord blood cells available for transplantation a number of banks were created worldwide. These banks are run by either hospitals or non-profit organizations that collect the samples from donors and provide them when the cells are needed for transplantation. Recently, private firms have been offering to future parents the conservation of blood from the umbilical cord of newborn children for one’s own use or for the use of close relatives. Different types of cord blood banks can be distinguished: private or public, for-profit or non-profit.