This article was originally published in the Novembre 2024 edition of Héma-Québec’s Magazine.

The Public Cord Blood Bank turned 20!

On June 17, 2004, Héma-Québec made an official announcement launching its Public Cord Blood Bank, taking an early step toward broadening its initial 1998 mandate as a blood product supplier. Three years earlier in 2001, the Human Tissue Bank had been created; the Public Mothers’ Milk Bank would open its doors a decade later in 2014.

With Héma-Québec growing as an organization, so too did its activities—many of which often need some explaining! It’s true that not everyone knows what cord blood is and how it can be used. Cord blood is actually placental blood collected from the umbilical cord, which connects mom and baby. It is collected at birth and very rich in stem cells.

Wait, what type of cells? Stem cells are “mother” cells from which all other blood cells—platelets and red and white blood cells—develop. In a way, stem cell transplants give recipients a new system for producing blood, which is especially useful for patients diagnosed with blood cancer.

The purpose of Héma-Québec’s Public Cord Blood Bank is to turn stem cells from umbilical cord blood into a collective resource that’s as diverse as the Québec population itself. The more diversity there is in cord blood donors’ ethnicity, the greater the chances are that a patient diagnosed with a serious illness will find a match, whether right here in Québec or elsewhere in the world.

Slow and steady growth that benefits Quebecers

When the Bank was founded in 2004, cord blood could only be collected at two partner hospitals: CHU Sainte-Justine and St. Mary’s Hospital. Over the years, several other partners have joined in, rounding out the list to include four more hospitals: Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé at the CISSS de Laval, the McGill University Health Centre, Hôpital de LaSalle and the Jewish General Hospital. The staff at these hospitals are specifically trained in collecting cord blood and helping interested mothers navigate the donation process.

Back in the day, Héma-Québec’s dream was to build a bank of 10,000 cryopreserved products—and today, it boasts nearly 13,000! As is often the case at Héma-Québec, this success is all thanks to teamwork, collaboration and generosity.

“It all starts with our generous donors, who want to contribute to this social endeavour,” says Diane Fournier, director of the Public Cord Blood Bank. “We wouldn’t be here celebrating 20 years without their support. Not to mention the invaluable contributions of the hospital staff that collects donations at our partner centres and the hard work of our own teams!”