Cord blood banking activities will end
The Finnish Red Cross Blood Service will discontinue its cord blood banking activities on 18 May 2026. Treatments for blood disorders have advanced in recent years, and as a result the use of cord blood has decreased.
The Blood Service collected cord blood between 1999 and 2013. Cord blood was collected from mothers after delivery, and the cord blood units were cryopreserved for potential use in the treatment of patients with severe blood disorders. Some cord blood units are still stored at the Blood Service.
The collection of cord blood was discontinued in Finland in 2013 due to low demand. Since 2017, no Finnish cord blood units have been used in Finnish healthcare, although a small number have been supplied abroad.
The use of cord blood as a treatment has also declined internationally in recent years, and it is therefore no longer considered necessary to maintain this activity. Advances in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis and international cooperation ensure that patients will continue to receive treatment. If needed, cord blood transplants can be obtained from other cord blood banks worldwide.
The Blood Service Biobank is interested in transferring cord blood units to the biobank for research use. Transferring the material requires consent from both the mother who donated the cord blood and the child from whom the cord blood originates.
