Global Cord Blood & Tissue Banking Industry Report – Market Size, Segmentation, & Forecasts, 2025

The first successful transplant using cord blood-derived hematopoietic stem cells was conducted in October 1988. Since then, significant advancements have been made in the field of umbilical cord blood research. To date, over 40,000 umbilical cord blood transplants (UCBTs) have been performed globally, treating a wide range of conditions including hematologic, metabolic, immunologic, neoplastic, and neurologic disorders.

Cord blood storage began as a commercial service in the early 1990s, but it was not until 2008 that cord tissue storage was introduced commercially. The first company to offer this service was Taiwan’s HealthBanks Biotech Company Ltd., followed by HealthBaby and Cryolife in Hong Kong in 2009. In the U.S., Cord Blood Registry (CBR) started offering cord tissue storage in July 2010. Today, nearly all U.S. cord blood banks and approximately one-third of global banks offer cord tissue storage services.

For placental banking, LifebankUSA began offering placental blood storage in 2006 and placental tissue storage in 2011. Americord Registry followed in September 2017 as the second U.S. bank to offer placental tissue banking. Internationally, a number of cord blood banks also provide placental blood and tissue storage services. Some have expanded into storing other stem cell types, such as dental pulp stem cells, with DentCell, a dental pulp stem cell bank, being controlled by Cryoholdco, the largest cord blood banking consolidator in Latin America. Additionally, a few banks have started storing adipose-derived stem cells.

The cord blood industry has experienced unprecedented levels of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in recent years, leading to significant market consolidation, particularly in Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. The market is now predominantly controlled by a handful of large cord blood banking operators. This consolidation is notable given the rapid growth of the industry in the early 2000s. Significant consolidation has occurred in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America:

• PBKM FamiCord has acquired most of the European market, including merging with it largest competitor Vita34 and acquiring assets following Cryo-Save AG’s 2019 bankruptcy.
• CooperSurgical has consolidated reproductive, newborn stem cell, and genetic services within the U.S., managing at least 1.1 million units.
• Cryoholdco has amassed stem cell banking assets across Latin America, including four in Mexico, two in Colombia, two in Brazil, and one in Peru, totaling an estimated 300,000 units.
• Sanpower Group dominates the Asian market through its ownership of Global Cord Blood Corporation and other assets across Southeast Asia, controlling over 1.2 million units.
• India, with its burgeoning population of 1.4 billion, rivals China in size, making up approximately 36% of the world’s 7.8 billion people. LifeCell International is the leading stem cell bank in India, storing over 320,000 units.

This consolidation has spurred many cord blood banks to explore new stem cell storage options and expand their services to include fertility and reproductive services, genetic testing, and cell therapy applications. The therapeutic potential of cord blood, cord tissue, placental blood, and amniotic fluid has driven the proliferation of storage services for these biomaterials.

Many cord blood banks have now expanded their offerings to include:

• Reproductive and assisted fertility services
• Pre- and post-natal genetic testing
• Cell therapy product development

While the private sector consolidates, many public (nonprofit) cord blood banks, particularly in the U.S., are struggling financially. These banks spend between $1 million and $6 million annually on processing, testing, storage, and licensing technologies. Revenue from cord blood sales is relatively low, often supplemented by government subsidies, donations, and grants.

The umbilical cord blood and tissue market is composed of several segments:

1. Storage (Cryopreservation) Market: This segment generates significant revenue from long-term storage contracts. Major investment firms have recently entered this market by acquiring stakes in cord blood banking companies.

2. Transplantation Medicine: There is a robust market for using cord blood in treating diseases such as leukemia and sickle cell disease. Over 40,000 UCB transplants have been performed, and the U.S. FDA has approved over 80 medical conditions for treatment using hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from cord blood.

3. Regenerative Medicine: Research into cord blood and tissue for regenerative medicine is growing. Studies from the mid-2000s have shown the potential of cord blood for treating neurological disorders. For instance, clinical trials have demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of minimally manipulated cord blood in treating conditions like cerebral palsy and autism. RheinCell Therapeutics, now owned by Catalent, has achieved GMP certification for manufacturing cord blood-derived iPSCs for cell therapy.

4. Research Supply Products: There is a growing market for research products derived from cord blood and tissue, including cells, tissues, reagents, and kits. Leading market players like Lonza, STEMCELL Technologies, and AllCells are major contributors to this sector.

This report provides insights into the following:

• The number of cord blood units stored globally, in both public and private banks.
• The number of hematopoietic stem cell transplants performed using cord blood cells.
• Utilization of cord blood in regenerative medicine clinical trials.
• Trends in cord blood use for HSCTs since 2005.
• Emerging technologies impacting the financial stability of public cord blood banks.
• Future opportunities for companion products derived from cord blood.
• The evolving landscape of cord blood banking.
• Expansion and extension of services by cord blood banks.
• Economic models and cost analyses for public and private cord blood banks.
• Pricing for processing and storage in private banks.
• Comparative analysis of cord blood processing technologies and their merits.
• Number and types of clinical trials and patents related to cord blood and tissue.
• Transplantation data from different cord blood registries.

The report also answers key questions such as:

• Strategies for improving the financial stability of public cord blood banks.
• Companion products developed from cord blood.
• Costs and revenues associated with processing and storing cord blood.
• Comparative pricing and revenue for cord blood units in different regions.
• Accreditation systems and processing technologies for cord blood banks.
• Utilization rates and research focus areas for cord blood and tissue-derived cells.

This comprehensive report provides a detailed analysis of the cord blood and tissue banking market, including historical data and future projections through 2032. It covers storage, processing technologies, market leaders, and recent M&A activity, market size metrics, forecasts, and so much more.
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