Cord blood storage is done in cord blood banks. Right after the cord blood has been collected in the delivery room, it brought to the cord blood bank laboratory. While in the laboratory, it will undergo routine tests. There are several tests, some of them are ABO and Rh typing, HLA Class 1 (serology), complete blood count, Hepatitis B surface antigen, Anti-HIV 1-2, Antibody to hepatitis C virus, Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay, Anaerobic and aerobic bacterial cultures, and other tests. Once the cord blood goes through and pass all these tests, the cord blood will undergo another process for cryopreservation.
The final step in cord blood storage is done in the laboratory. The blood is now ready for cryopreservation. This simply means that the blood will be preserved by cooling to low sub-zero temperature level. At a very low level temperature, biological activity of the cells will stop. Biochemical reactions that lead to cellular death will also be stopped in order to keep the cells alive. It is important that during cryopreservation, the blood has to be treated first with cryoprotectant solutions. The solution will prevent damage to the cells once it undergoes the freezing and thawing processes. It is believed that the process of freezing should be done gradually to prevent damage to the cells.
When the cord blood is already frozen to a temperature of -90 Celsius, it is added to a liquid nitrogen tank so to keep it on -196 Celsius temperature. There has been no established protocol yet in cryopreserving cord blood. The protocols being used is based on those originally designed for cryopreservation of bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells. Several studies are still being done on what would be best for cord blood. Things like whether it is best to use liquid nitrogen or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), slow or controlled cooling rate, and rapid thawing are still being considered. These are just some of the complex process of cord blood storage.
There has been some issues raised on the expensive fees being collected by private cord blood banks for cord blood storage. Private cord blood banks are arguing that the expenses of testing, processing and storage of cord blood are expensive. If they will not collect high fees, they might be forced to cost cut in the quality of testing and preserving. This might lead to substandard products which could be harmful for those who will use it. Operational expenses must also be put into consideration.