In addition to the storage of umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord tissue for private healthcare, FamiCord also offers what is known as hybrid cord blood banking. This model combines private provision with a public donation option. In this way, parents can store their baby’s umbilical cord blood for personal use and at the same time make it available to people who are looking for a stem cell donor. The hybrid cord blood banking option is currently available in Germany and Spain. You can find more detailed information on the respective pages of our subsidiaries or partners in Germany and Spain. It is very important to us to sensitize families to the medical importance of umbilical cord blood. Our long-term goal is to educate the public about the life-saving potential of umbilical cord blood stem cells.

The directed donation programme is organized by FamiCord Group with the aim of saving the lives and health of critically ill children.

This program is available to families who have a seriously ill child who potentially can be treated with stem cells transplantation and expects another child. If family wish to collect cord blood during the birth of their next child – FamiCord makes it possible for free. The only costs incurred by the families are a portion of the processing fee and the storage fees if the blood is kept for more than a year.

To participate in directed donation program, parents must submit certain documents to local FamiCord Group Member company, including a medical history report of the sick child with a diagnosis or a certificate from the attending physician confirming that the child is eligible for treatment with stem cells, along with an application to join the program. If you want to learn more – please contact local FamiCord member company. List of countries.

In Europe, the public banking system is highly diverse and depends on local regulations and local budgets. Even in the countries with well developed public banking system the donation is possible in selected hospitals only. So the only choice parents have is to store samples for family or to discard that precious material. 

As a socially responsible company, FamiCord organizes public banking initiatives, covering the costs from its own funds as part of its CSR activities. What exactly is public cord blood banking? Parents who do not want to store cord blood for family use can, in some regions, donate it for public use. The primary goal is to increase the availability of stored cord blood, thereby enhancing access to treatment for unrelated patients in need. Donated samples are undergoing rigorous qualification process and finally ca. 5-15 % of them are stored in a public inventory.

In Poland, FamiCord each year organizes the Cord Blood Days initiative, which aims to promote the idea of donating umbilical cord blood for public use in selected healthcare facilities. This campaign is held annually in the autumn, at the largest maternity hospitals across the country. PBKM covers the operational costs of the public bank from its own funds, ensuring the sustainability of this important service. Up to now, nearly 4,000 cord blood units have been stored for public use so far.

Besides public cord blood banking, FamiCord also allows hybrid cord blood banking. This model combines both private and public donation options. Parents can store their baby’s umbilical cord blood for personal use, while also allowing it to be made available for public use, providing an opportunity to help other patients in need of hematopoietic stem cell therapies. In the companies offering this option, the scope of the available packages may vary: in Spain, FamiCord Group subsidiary, Sevibe, offers the possibility of preserving the umbilical cord of your baby while contributing to public health. For added convenience, parents can store the sample at the Madrid bank, which operates every day of the year. Through their Shared Cord, Solidarity Cord program, parents can store their baby’s umbilical cord while also making it available for others who may need it. The sample will be registered in the National Cord Blood Network, further expanding access to life-saving stem cells. FamiCord Clients in Germany are offered hybrid banking solution: called VitaPlusDonation (VitaPlusSpende). In this model, parents can store the entire umbilical cord blood as the property of their child in a stem cell depot. If a suitable recipient requires the stem cells, parents or their adult child are consulted on whether the stem cells should be donated as a transplant. If the stem cells are used, the family is reimbursed for the storage costs already paid, making it a more flexible option for families while still contributing to the larger public health effort.

For FamiCord Group, raising awareness about the importance of cord blood banking, both family and public, to save it cord bloods is a priority. All of our CSR activities are focused on this goal, aiming to educate and inform the public about the life-saving potential of cord blood stem cells.