Life Cord

Established in 1998 in Gainesville, Fla., LifeCord was the first allogeneic cord bank established in the Southeastern United States. Accredited by the AABB. Joint venture between the University of Florida, Shands Teaching Hospital at UF and LifeSouth Community Blood Centers. Working together, these three entities are able to bring their individual expertise to ensure a safe and reliable cord blood unit for patient transplant. The Shands at UF Blood and Marrow Transplant Program has performed more than 1,300 blood and marrow transplants including the first pediatric and adult umbilical cord blood transplants in Florida, and Florida’s first umbilical cord blood transplant to treat sickle cell anemia.

Medical Direction
John R. Wingard, MD, serves as LifeCord’s medical director. A member of the University of Florida’s College of Medicine, he is a professor of Hematology and Oncology, is the medical director of the Shands at UF Bone Marrow Transplant Program and the UF Shands Cancer Center associate director of clinical and translational research.

Donor Selection
LifeCord assesses the donor’s medical history and risk behaviors prior to making a cord blood unit available for transplant. A cord blood mother must complete the National Marrow Donor Program’s background and risk assessment questionnaires. These questionnaires provide information about the mother’s health history and risk factors, as well as the baby’s genetic history (maternal and paternal).

Infectious Disease Testing
LifeCord tests all mothers for the following disease markers: HIV 1/2; HIV Nucleic Acid Testing; HCV Nucleic Acid Testing; Hepatitis B Surface Antigen; Hepatitis C Virus; Hepatitis B Virus; HTLV – I/II; and Syphilis.

Genetic Screening The following genetic screenings are made available with the cord blood unit profile: Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) Galactosemia Hypothyroidism (congenital) Phenylketonuria (PKU) Sickle Cell Disease and Hemoglobinopathies.

Cord Preservation & Storage The cryopreservation laboratory at Shands at UF has been operating since 1981 and plays a major role in the success of our program. Cord cells in DMSO solution, are frozen at a rate of -1C per minute until they reach a temperature of -40C. When the temperature reaches -40C, the rate of cooling is increased to -12C per minute until a temperature of -120C is reached. The cryopreserved bag is then transferred to a liquid nitrogen cryostorage holding tank where they remain viable for at least 10 years.

Cord Banking at LifeSouth
LifeCord is a program of LifeSouth Community Blood Centers developed in cooperation with the University of Florida College of Medicine and the Shands at UF Stem Cell Laboratory. LifeCord is a community cord blood bank and has been accepted by the FDA as an Investigational New Drug research program. Cord blood collections are performed by LifeSouth staff and physicians and nurses trained on LifeCord procedures.

In north central Florida, physicians from the University of Florida College of Medicine perform cord blood transplants at Shands at UF. UF physicians transplant cord blood into patients for whom other treatments have not worked. Cord blood donations are searchable alongside bone marrow donors. Physicians seek the best stem cell match for any given patient.

Currently, collections are limited to North Florida Regional Medical Center, Shands at AGH, Shands at UF, Shands at LakeShore, The Birthing Center, The Patient's Corner, as well as the Baptist South and Baptist East Hospitals in Montgomery. Expectant mothers delivering at a LifeCord participating facility may request information on registering as donors by calling LifeSouth at (352) 224-1737.

Those seeking cord blood banks in other areas may contact the National Marrow Donor Program at 1-800-MARROW-2.

Read more about Cord Blood Banking