July is National Cord Blood Awareness Month

AABB joins the health care community in recognizing July as National Cord Blood Awareness Month.

Despite its life-saving potential, most umbilical cord blood — and the hematopoietic stem cells it contains — is still discarded as medical waste in the United States. Cord Blood Awareness Month aims to raise awareness about the importance of saving and storing cord blood.

Throughout July, AABB will share educational resources and social media graphics to highlight cord blood’s life-changing role in stem cell transplants and cellular therapies.

Get Involved

AABB offers several opportunities for those in the blood and biotherapies community to learn more about cord blood:

• Join the Cord Blood Subsection: AABB invites to participate in monthly Cord Blood Subsection meetings, which explore a wide range of issues, including public donor recruitment, informed consent, testing and screening, licensure, international collaboration and family banking.
  
• Attend AABB2025: AABB encourages members to review the program for the 2025 AABB Annual Meeting, taking place Oct. 25-28 in San Diego. This year, AABB is partnering with the Cord Blood Association (CBA) to host Cord Blood Connect as part of the AABB Annual Meeting. A new cord blood agenda will explore emerging topics in mesenchymal stem cells, transplantation and the latest opportunities and challenges in the field.
  
• Submit a lightning talk proposal: The Cord Blood Association is currently accepting proposals for five-minute lightning talks on cord blood and birthing tissue, taking place at AABB2025. These fast-paced, thought-provoking presentations will showcase bold ideas on next-generation applications, technological innovations and global access to cord blood. The submission deadline is July 8.

Additional information about cord blood and other biotherapies is available on the AABB website.