August 2025

The Cord Blood Association (CBA) is thrilled to host the 2025 Cord Blood Connect meeting in partnership with the AABB Annual Meeting, October 25-28 in San Diego, CA! This exciting collaboration is led by Program Chairs Marcie Finney and Colleen Delaney, MD, MSc. Together, they'll bring leading experts from across the field to share expanded education, cutting-edge research, and networking opportunities in cord blood and perinatal tissue banking and clinical applications. 

Register to attend and discover practice-changing solutions, share cutting-edge research, hear unique perspectives, network with colleagues, and meet others in the field from around the world. This can’t-miss event provides the best opportunity to keep up to date on the field’s new research and developments and learn from world-renowned experts. 

CBA members receive the AABB member rate on full-meeting registration by using the exclusive code CBA25!

2025 Cord Blood Connect Highlights

Discover what’s ahead in the Technical and Scientific Tracks at 2025 Cord Blood Connect.

Scientific Track Sessions

• Session 1: How Does Cord Blood Facilitate Tissue Repair and Regeneration?
• Session 2: Cord Blood Transplantation: Clinical Outcomes and New Strategies
• Session 3: Exploring the Unique Biology of Cord Blood and Birthing Tissues
• Session 4: Lightning Talks – The Future of Cord Blood: Bold Visions and Innovations

Technical Track Sessions

• Session 1: The New Frontiers of MSC's in Regenerative Medicine
• Session 2: Opportunities & Challenges of the Field of Cord Blood and Birthing Tissues
• Session 3: Defining Novel Growth Opportunities for the Cord Blood Field: Lessons Learned & Pathways Forward
• Session 4: Evidence Based Communication in Cord Blood Donation and Banking

New: Lightning Talk Presentations

We're excited to announce new Lighting Talks to be featured:

Monday, October 27 | 8:15 am PT

Lightning Talks – The Future of Cord Blood: Bold Visions & Innovations

This engaging and forward-thinking session at Cord Blood Connect will feature short, powerful presentations designed to educate, inspire and spark meaningful conversation. These short presentations will be delivered by visionary experts across the globe, sharing their ideas for the future of cord blood and birthing tissue. Speakers will present bold ideas on how cord blood can transform medicine, push scientific boundaries, and expand its impact in both transplantation and regenerative therapies.

Key themes will include: 

• Next-Generation Applications: How cord blood could revolutionize treatments for cancer, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and beyond. 
• Technological Innovations: The role of AI, gene editing, and cell engineering in enhancing the potential of cord blood-derived therapies. 
• Global Accessibility and Policy Evolution: Strategies to make cord blood banking and therapies more widely available across diverse populations.

This session aims to inspire new ideas, spark discussions, and challenge conventional thinking about where cord blood could go in the next years.

State of the Science Symposium

Clinical Trial Activity: Omidubicel

Omidubicel is an FDA-approved, ex vivo expanded, cord blood-derived stem cell product that is used for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. While omidubicel reduced the time to blood count recovery compared to a standard cord blood transplantation, there was no change in the risk of graft versus host disease. Dr. Sanghee Hong at Duke has opened a new clinical trial at Duke University aimed at reducing the risk of graft versus host disease following transplantation with omidubicel. Abatacept is an FDA-approved medication that has been shown to reduce graft versus host disease following adult donor transplantation. The Duke study will assess the safety and feasibility of pairing abatacept with an omidubicel transplant.  

Submitted by: Dr. Mitchell Horwitz, Duke University 

Open Clinical Trial: Optimized Cord Blood Transplantation for Relapsed Blood Cancers

Optimized Cord Blood Transplantation for the Treatment of Patients With High-Risk Hematologic Malignancies Who Have Relapsed After First Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

MD Anderson Cancer Center is recruiting patients for a clinical trial evaluating optimized cord blood transplantation (CBT) as a second transplant for individuals with acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome who have relapsed after a first allogeneic stem cell transplant. Backed by promising data from multiple international studies, this trial explores CBT’s unique graft-versus-leukemia effects and potential for improved outcomes.

Submitted by: Dr. Warren Fingrut, MD Anderson

Legislative Update from Pattie Deloatche, Senior Policy Advisor, Sidley Austin LLP

New House Energy & Commerce Committee Health Subcommittee Chairman

Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA) recently became the new Chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee. The previous chairman, Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA), is running for the U.S. Senate seat in Georgia. This Subcommittee has jurisdiction over many health programs and federal agencies including the Food and Drug Administration, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Chairman Griffith has represented the 9th congressional district of Virginia since 2011. His district includes Salem, Blacksburg (where Virginia Tech is located), Bristol, and Abingdon. In the past, he and his staff have been supportive of legislation reauthorizing the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act. They also are familiar with the National Cord Blood Inventory and C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program and will work collaboratively with CBA. 

Exclusive Member Discounts

Through its new partnership with the Cord Blood Association (CBA), Blood Centers of America (BCA) offers accredited institutional and affiliate CBA members in the U.S. access to exclusive supply chain savings. Backed by more than $1 billion in commercial purchasing power, BCA’s portfolio includes over 500 supplier agreements designed to support your operational needs across a wide range of spend categories.

Whether you're looking to reduce costs, streamline purchasing, or expand vendor options, BCA’s experienced team is ready to help you meet your 2025 savings goals!

Learn more about how your organization can benefit from this opportunity or contact Whit Harvey at BCA for details.

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