September 5, 2025 – Thanks to a partnership between EOC and SSCB Swiss Stem Cells Biotech SA in Vacallo, umbilical cord blood stem cells from mothers giving birth in Ticino can now be preserved in our canton not only for private family use but also for solidarity donation.
The first phase of the pilot project testing the hybrid cord blood bank has been successfully completed and is now expanding to other hospitals. Since 2020, at the University Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the University Hospital of Bern, parents have been able to access this new pilot program. The innovation is that the characteristics and data of cord blood stem cells preserved at the Swiss private bank SSCB Swiss Stem Cells Biotech AG can be recorded both in a public donor registry and in private form. This registry is accessible worldwide, and if a patient in need is found to be compatible, the family can decide whether to consent to the donation (receiving reimbursement of costs) or to keep them for their own family.
This model, approved by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, meets the highest requirements in terms of safety and quality. The project originated from a partnership between the University Hospital of Bern, Swiss Stem Cells Biotech SA in Vacallo, and the Swiss Blood Stem Cells section of Transfusion CRS Switzerland. The hybrid model is now also available in Ticino, where public collection had previously been discontinued. Since October 1, 2024, the service has been active in all EOC facilities (Head Physician Prof. Dr. med. Andrea Papadia). A first cord blood unit from a Ticino maternity ward has already been registered in the worldwide donor database.
After birth, it is possible to collect the stem cells contained in umbilical cord blood. These stem cells are valuable for the treatment of serious blood diseases and other immune system disorders. They can be used both for the child and their family members, as well as for unrelated individuals with identical tissue typing. Until now, parents could only decide before birth whether the baby’s cord blood would be stored in a private bank for family use or in a public bank for international donation.
Hybrid preservation as a worldwide innovation
The hybrid preservation developed in the pilot project now offers a combination of the advantages of the two previous solutions. Parents can now preserve umbilical cord blood stem cells for their own family and, at the same time, if deemed suitable according to the criteria set by the SWISSCORD commission, register them in the public stem cell donor registry.
If the tissue characteristics of an anonymous patient match, parents can definitively consent to donate the stem cells for use by that patient. If parents do not wish to give this consent, the cells will be preserved for their family and the data removed from the public registry.
The final decision as to whether the use should be public or private is made in two cases: when the Swiss Blood Stem Cell Donor Registry of Transfusion CRS Switzerland submits a request on behalf of a sick patient with the same tissue characteristics, or, less commonly, when the sample is used for therapy of a family member.
Once stored, if the sample is compatible with an anonymous patient and the parents consent to donate the preserved cord blood stem cells for that patient, they will be reimbursed for all storage costs incurred and, at the same time, will lose any further rights to private use. If they do not consent to donation, the entry in the public registry will be canceled and the stem cells will remain available exclusively for the child and family.
Conclusions of the first phase of the pilot project
The service was developed within a public-private partnership between the University Hospital of Bern, Transfusion CRS Switzerland, and SSCB Swiss Stem Cells Biotech AG. Information, counseling for parents, and collection of the cord blood at birth took place at the University Hospital, Inselspital Bern, under the supervision of Head Physician Prof. Dr. med. Daniel Surbek.
The isolation and preservation of the cells are carried out at the private company SSCB, the only one in Switzerland with the required FACT NetCord certification level as a public cord blood bank. The project also involves the Swiss Blood Stem Cells section of the Swiss Red Cross and the Swisscord Commission, which monitors cord blood activities nationwide. Authorization for hybrid preservation of stem cells was granted to SSCB on June 12, 2020, by the Federal Office of Public Health, and all collected data are being published.
In the first phase, operational aspects relating to collection and the availability of data in anonymous form for the international registry were evaluated. In addition, a motivational study was conducted for families who had the opportunity to freely choose the desired model (private, public, or hybrid). The results showed good adherence to the new hybrid model, preferring it to the private model mainly for altruistic reasons and the freedom to decide when needed, thus avoiding waste of this important resource. Nearly one in ten couples who opted for this model said they would repeat the choice.
From an operational perspective, the model also proved very interesting, as it allows for a greater number of samples to be available in the registry. To date, to balance costs, public banks only accept samples with a blood volume above a predetermined threshold, based on the assumption that this ensures a sufficient number of stem cells. In the hybrid model, however, all samples are preserved and characterized.
Partnership with EOC
With a view to expanding the number of collection centers, thanks to the partnership signed with EOC, umbilical cord blood stem cells from mothers in Ticino can now also be preserved for solidarity use, in addition to family use.
In the past, public collection service had already been guaranteed through collaboration between the Transfusion Service CRS of Italian-speaking Switzerland and EOC. However, it was discontinued due to the low number of samples registered, also because of the distance from the public bank in Basel. Now, thanks to the bank in Vacallo, it is once again possible to contribute to donation, albeit in the innovative form of the hybrid bank.
The service has been active since October 1, 2024, in all EOC facilities under the supervision of Head Physician Prof. Dr. med. Andrea Papadia. Recently, a first cord blood unit from a Ticino maternity ward was made available in the worldwide donor registry.
Contacts
Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale
EOC Communication Service
General Management
+41 91 811 13 02
comunicazione@eoc.ch
