AABB2025: Opportunities and Challenges in the Field of Cord Blood and Birthing Tissues

Strategic communication is an essential tool to advance the cord blood and biotechnology fields, said Frances Verter, PhD, founder and director of the Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation. 

Verter spoke at a session that explored the evolving landscape of cord blood banking, which was part of the the Cord Blood Connect track of the AABB Annual Meeting. The session examined both communication challenges in the field and scientific opportunities in therapeutic development. Verter stressed the importance of media training and noted that even well-intentioned interviews can damage credibility if messaging is inconsistent or reactive. “You should be careful to stay on message when you’re being interviewed,” Verter told the audience.  

Verter cautioned that credibility must be earned through transparency and consistency, as the impact of misinformation remains serious. She encouraged organizations to build credibility proactively through public audits, FAQs, behind-the-scenes videos and collaborations with respected experts who can counteract misleading narratives. 

“Research shows that a fake news story damages a company’s reputation… even if the audience knows the information is false,” Verter said. Moreover, negative commentary or internal conflicts, especially between public and private cord blood banks, can break public trust and harm perception, she pointed out. Maintaining professionalism within the industry is key. 

Verter mentioned recent interviews in Canada where scientists dismissed private cord blood banking, leading the public to question the value of cord blood banking. “This not only undermined confidence but created contradictions when those same experts later promoted new technologies using smaller cord blood units,” she noted.  

She urged scientists and clinicians to communicate carefully, recognizing that the public does not process disclaimers or technical distinctions the same way professionals do. “You cannot assume that the public absorbs information the same way scientists do,” Verter said.  

The second half of the presentation shifted toward technical considerations, addressing cord blood as a source of starting material in regenerative medicine and cellular therapies. 

Presenter Colleen Delaney, MD, MSc, outlined key challenges in autologous therapies, including cost, limited scalability and patient-specific variability. She advocated for broader use of allogeneic cell therapies to improve access and affordability. “Cord blood is probably the healthiest, non-manipulated source of hematopoietic stem cells,” she told attendees.  

Emerging therapies discussed include expanded stem cell products (e.g., those by ExCellThera, approved in Europe), cord blood-derived immune cells for oncology and autoimmune disorders, and cord blood-derived macrophages and regulatory T cells for inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. 

Delaney concluded that cord blood remains a vital, promising and underutilized resource for future cell and gene therapies. “There are a few challenges in any starting source, but cord blood is a very promising source of starting material for many cellular applications,” she added.