Cord Blood Banking Basic 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the typical storage temperature for cord blood units in a public or private bank?
- -80°C in mechanical freezers
- -196°C in liquid nitrogen (Correct answer)
- -20°C in standard freezers
- 4°C in refrigerated units
Correct answer: -196°C in liquid nitrogen
Cord blood units are stored at -196°C in liquid nitrogen to maintain long-term viability of hematopoietic stem cells.
Question 2: Which federal agency primarily regulates public cord blood banks in the United States?
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (Correct answer)
- Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
Correct answer: Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The FDA regulates public cord blood banks as manufacturers of human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products (HCT/Ps).
Question 3: A cord blood unit donated to a public bank is most commonly used for which purpose?
- Exclusive use by the donor's family
- Unrelated allogeneic transplantation (Correct answer)
- Autologous transplantation for the donor
- Research only, never transplantation
Correct answer: Unrelated allogeneic transplantation
Public cord blood donations are listed in registries and made available for unrelated allogeneic transplants for patients who need a matched unit.
Question 4: What does TNC stand for in the context of cord blood banking quality metrics?
- Total Nucleated Cells (Correct answer)
- Transplant Network Capacity
- Total Neutrophil Count
- Tissue Nucleation Certification
Correct answer: Total Nucleated Cells
TNC (Total Nucleated Cells) is a key quality metric used to assess whether a cord blood unit has enough cells to be therapeutically useful.
Question 5: Which accreditation body specifically certifies cord blood banks in the United States for quality and safety?
- Joint Commission
- AABB (formerly American Association of Blood Banks) (Correct answer)
- College of American Pathologists (CAP)
- National Accreditation Authority
Correct answer: AABB (formerly American Association of Blood Banks)
AABB accredits cord blood banks and sets standards for collection, processing, testing, storage, and distribution of cord blood.
Question 6: If a family banks cord blood privately and the child develops leukemia, why may autologous cord blood transplant be inadvisable?
- Stored units expire within 5 years
- The cord blood may carry the same genetic mutation that caused the leukemia (Correct answer)
- Autologous transplants are illegal for minors
- Private banks are not permitted to release units for medical use
Correct answer: The cord blood may carry the same genetic mutation that caused the leukemia
For genetic or congenital leukemia, the child's own cord blood may harbor the same pre-leukemic mutations, making an allogeneic donor preferable.
Question 7: What is the approximate minimum TNC threshold typically required by banks for a cord blood unit to be banked for potential transplant use?
- 1 × 10⁵ cells
- 5 × 10⁸ cells (Correct answer)
- 9 × 10⁸ cells
- 1 × 10⁶ cells
Correct answer: 5 × 10⁸ cells
Most public banks require a minimum of approximately 5 × 10⁸ total nucleated cells to consider a unit adequate for potential clinical use.
Cord Blood Banking Basic 2
What is the typical storage temperature for cord blood units in a public or private bank?