History
Officially opened in September 2005 by Health Minister Mr. Khaw Boon Wan, Singapore Cord Blood Bank was established in response to demands from Haematologists and Paediatricians in Singapore.
Singaporean patients who needed stem cell transplants were then facing difficulties in obtaining Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) matched stem cell units because of the relative scarcity of stem cell donors that matched Singapore’s main ethnic profiles i.e. Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicities. SCBB was conceived as a solution to this problem. Donation of cord blood by Singaporeans would significantly increase the probability of obtaining matched cord blood units for the treatment of Singaporean patients.
Having joined the WMDA and NMDP network in 2006 and 2007 respectively, have allowed patients of Asian descent all over the world to search SCBB's inventory for a matching cord blood unit as well.
Read more about this topic: Singapore Cord Blood Bank
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