Principal Director and Head, Pediatric Hematology Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon, India
Part 5 of 14 in BMT in Sickle Cell Anaemia and Other Haematological Disorders
Cord Blood Transplant for Sickle Cell Disease: Is It Used in India?
August 6, 2026
Cord blood transplants are not the preferred option for sickle cell disease, with adult donor transplants, whether matched sibling or haploidentical, generally favoured instead. Dr. Vikas Dua, Principal Director and Head, Pediatric Hematology Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon, addressed this directly during his Jivo Masterclass question and answer session.
What Is Cord Blood and How Are Cord Blood Banks Organised?
Cord blood is one of the recognised sources of stem cells for bone marrow transplant, alongside bone marrow itself and peripheral blood. Cord blood banks exist in both public and private forms. The first successful cord blood transplant was performed in 1988 in France for a patient with aplastic anaemia, and the first international cord blood registry was established in 1992.
Why Cord Blood Is Not the First Choice for Sickle Cell Disease
Despite this history, Dr. Vikas Dua explains that cord blood transplants are not preferred for sickle cell disease, citing issues associated with cord blood transplants that make adult donor transplants, using either a matched sibling or a haploidentical parent donor, the more reliable choice. This is an important distinction for families researching bone marrow transplant in India, since cord blood banking is sometimes marketed as a general solution without this nuance.
What This Means for Families Considering Bone Marrow Transplant in India
Families of sickle cell patients researching options should understand that having stored cord blood is not necessarily the deciding factor in whether a transplant can proceed. HLA typing of the patient and siblings, and consideration of a haploidentical parent donor where no sibling match exists, remain the primary pathways used for sickle cell bone marrow transplant in India today.
← What Is the Best Age for Bone Marrow Transplant in Sickle Cell Disease? | Series index | Non-Myeloablative Conditioning: Reducing Infertility Risk in Sickle Cell BMT →
This article is based on a Jivo Masterclass session conducted by Dr. Vikas Dua, Principal Director and Head, Pediatric Hematology Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon, India. The article has been summarised with the assistance of an AI tool from the original masterclass recording. Watch the full Masterclass recording
This guide is based on a live Jivo Masterclass — Dr. Vikas Dua taught doctors across Africa on July 28, 2024.
FROM THE LIVE Q&A
Dr. Anthony, DRC
How much does the treatment cost, including accommodation, if the patient travels to India, and how long would they stay?
Dr. Vikas Dua
For a matched sibling donor transplant, roughly it is around $25,000 for the transplant; for a half-match transplant it is around $35,000. For accommodation and other logistics you need $10,000 more — so roughly $35,000 for a full match and $45,000 for a half match. The stay is around three months.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you find HLA compatible donors, and if they have to be found in the family, what criteria are used?▼
We do HLA typing of the patient and siblings — there's a 25 to 30% chance the siblings are a complete match to the patient on HLA. So you need to do HLA typing and you will come to know whether you have a full match in the family or not.
How long exactly are transplant children kept immunosuppressed?▼
Usually after one year we stop all the immunosuppression — only 10 to 15% of patients need it for a longer duration, but in the majority of patients we stop immunosuppression after one year of transplant.
What is the umbilical cord transplant about, and is it done for all babies or just sickle cell patients?▼
When a newborn baby is born, from the placental side of the cord, 25 ml of stem cells are collected and go to a public bank or a private bank, and later, if you want to do a transplant, you can use that unit. You can do it for any condition, but in India we don't prefer cord blood transplants because there are quite a number of issues with them — that's why we prefer adult donor transplants over a cord blood unit.
Is there a possibility for transplant in prostate cancer, and are there only two donor registry banks in the world?▼
There is no role of bone marrow transplant in prostate cancer — none, and no research on it either. On registries: the biggest bank is in Germany, the second biggest in the US, but there are many other banks in other parts of the world — there isn't even a single bank in Africa. That's one of the reasons transplants aren't happening in Africa, other than South Africa and some in Benin City, Nigeria. All of you need to come together and have your own registry, so that if somebody requires stem cells, you have your own bank — you people have to come out with the solution.
Can the same principles apply in children with cerebral palsy?▼
That's a very good question, but there is no role of bone marrow transplant in cerebral palsy. There are researches going on about whether transplant helps for cerebral palsy, but we don't have an answer in black and white — at the present moment there is no indication for doing a transplant for cerebral palsy.
Is cord blood transplant commonly used for sickle cell disease in India?▼
No. Cord blood transplants are not the preferred option for sickle cell disease. Adult donor transplants, whether matched sibling or haploidentical, are generally favoured instead.
When was the first successful cord blood transplant performed?▼
The first successful cord blood transplant was performed in 1988 in France for a patient with aplastic anaemia, and the first international cord blood registry was established in 1992.
What is the difference between a public and a private cord blood bank?▼
Cord blood banks exist in both public and private forms and are one of the recognised sources of stem cells for bone marrow transplant, alongside bone marrow itself and peripheral blood.
Does having stored cord blood guarantee a patient can proceed with transplant?▼
No. Having stored cord blood is not necessarily the deciding factor in whether a transplant can proceed. HLA typing of the patient and siblings, along with consideration of a haploidentical parent donor, remain the primary pathways used for sickle cell bone marrow transplant in India.
In This Series: BMT in Sickle Cell Anaemia and Other Haematological Disorders
- 1.Bone Marrow Transplant for Sickle Cell Anaemia
- 2.Why Africa Has No Bone Marrow Donor Registry, and How Haploidentical Transplant Solves It
- 3.What Is the Best Age for Bone Marrow Transplant in Sickle Cell Disease?
- 4.Bone Marrow Transplant for Thalassemia in India
- 5.Cord Blood Transplant for Sickle Cell Disease: Is It Used in India?
- 6.Cost of Bone Marrow Transplant for Sickle Cell Anaemia in India
- 7.HLA Typing and Donor Matching for Bone Marrow Transplant in India
- 8.Matched Sibling vs Haploidentical Transplant for Sickle Cell Disease
- 9.Non-Myeloablative Conditioning: Reducing Infertility Risk in Sickle Cell BMT
- 10.Life After Bone Marrow Transplant: Recovery and Immunosuppression
- 11.Who Needs a Bone Marrow Transplant for Sickle Cell Disease?
- 12.Cure Rates for Sickle Cell Bone Marrow Transplant: What the Data Shows
- 13.Sickle Cell Disease Burden in Africa: Why Bone Marrow Transplant Matters
- 14.What Is Bone Marrow Transplant and How Does It Cure Sickle Cell Anaemia?