Choices in Cord Blood Banking: Factors Influencing Parental Decision Making

Cord blood banking is increasingly being used to improve and save lives. Stem cells derived from umbilical blood have been used in more than 14,000 transplants worldwide to treat a wide range of blood diseases, genetic and metabolic disorders, immunodeficiencies and various forms of cancer. However, many expectant parents still do not fully understand the significance of cord blood storage. A study published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine shows that a third of expectant parents are unaware of the option to preserve cord blood. Of the two-thirds who have some knowledge, 74% describe themselves as “minimally informed.”

This market report uses end-user surveys of expectant parents and technology-derived data to determine the factors involved in parental-decision making. More than 1,200 expectation parents in the U.S., Canada, Europe and other international regions answered a detailed survey between November 2008 and January 2009.

The report includes:

• Sources through which expectant parents learn of cord blood banking
• Rates of parental awareness of cord blood banking by gender, household income, geographic location, education, birth order, and other critical factors
• Reasons parents cite as driving the decision to store cord blood
• Factors influencing the decision for private vs. public storage of cord blood
• Price sensitivity and quality expectations
• Comparative analysis of quality variables among cord blood banks
• Parental responsiveness to health statistics
• Differences in perspective based on global region, as well as type of location (city vs. suburban vs. rural)
• Critical trends in cord blood banking and the factors influencing them
• Competitive analysis of the Cord Blood Banking Industry
• Population Profiling: Characteristics of those highly/moderately/least likely to purchase cord blood banking services
• Methods to effectively communicate with your target audience: Expectant Parents

Table Of Contents

PART 1: CORD BLOOD BANKING, INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

I. Abstract

II. Cord Blood Stem Cells
A. Fetal Cord Blood Characteristics
B. Existing Treatments
C. Future Applications

III. Cord Blood Banking Industry
A. History
B. Private vs. Public Cord Blood Banks
1. U.S. Public Banks
a. Overview
b. Number of Public Banks
c. Geographic Distribution
2. U.S. Private Banks
a. Overview
b. Number of U.S. Private Banks
c.. Geographic Distribution
3. Free Programs for U.S. Families with Medical Need
4. International Banks
a. Overview
b. Number Private Cord Blood Banks by International Region

IV. Market Characterization
A. List of U.S. Private Cord Blood Banks
B. List of U.S. Public Cord Blood Banks
C. U.S. Mail-In Donation (Public) Cord Blood Banks
D. Breakdown of Canadian Cord Blood Banks - Public vs. Private / AABB Accredited vs. Non-Accredited
E. International Cord Blood Banks
1. Mexican Cord Blood Banks
a. Private Banks
b Public Banking System
2. South/Central American Cord Blood Banks
a. Private Banks
b Public Banking System
3. United Kingdom Cord Blood Banks
a. Private Banks
b Public Banking System
4. European Cord Blood Banks
a. Private Banks
b Public Banking System
5. Middle Eastern Cord Blood Banks
a. Private Banks
b Public Banking System
6. Indian Cord Blood Banks
a. Private Banks
b Public Banking System
7. Asian Cord Blood Banks
a. Private Banks
b Public Banking System
8. Australian / New Zealand Cord Blood Banks
a. Private Australian and New Zealand Cord Blood Banks
b. Public Cord Blood Banks by Australian State
i. New South Wales
ii. Victoria
iii. Queensland
iv. Western Austalia, South Australia, & Tasmania
9. African Cord Blood Banks
a. Private Banks
b Public Banking System
F. List of International Public Cord Blood Banks (Alphabetical by Country)
G. Worldwide List of AABB Accredited Cord Blood Facilities

V. United States Cord Blood Banking Legislation
A. U.S. State
1. Washington State
2. California
3. Arizona
4. New Mexico
5. Colorado
6. Texas
7. Oklahoma
8. Arkansas
9. Louisiana
10. Tennessee
11. Georgia
12. Illinois
13. Virginia
14. Maryland
15. Pennsylvania
16. Michigan
17. Wisconsin
18. New Jersey
19. New York
20. Massachusetts
B. U.S. Federal
1. Institute of Medicine Recommendations Study
a. Overview
b. Key Recommendations
c. IOM Study Shapes National Public Health Policy
2. Presidential Executive Order Expanding Approved Stem Cell Lines in Ethically Responsible Ways
a. Background
b. The Order
3. The Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005
a. Background
b. Current Status of the Act

VI. International Analysis - Trends, Policies and Industry Conditions (by Country)
A. NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA
1. Canada
2. Mexico
3. United States
4. Brazil
5. Chile
6. Colombia
B. ASIA
1. China
2. Japan
3. Korea
4. Malaysia
5. Taiwan
6. Singapore
7. Thailand
C. INDIA
D. AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
E. EUROPE
1. European Union
a. Policy Overview
b. NETCORD Foundation
2. France
3. Germany & Austria
4. Italy
5. Netherlands
6. Spain
7. Poland
8. Russian Federation
9. United Kingdom

VII. Cost Analysis: Cord Blood Banking
A. Reasons for Variation in Cord Blood Pricing
1. Companies have Flexibility in the Pricing that they Set
2. Companies have Variables in the Services that they Offer
3. Variable Fee Breakdowns
B. Range of Pricing for U.S. Cord Blood Companies (1-100th percentiles)
1. U.S. Cord Blood Banking Price Range (1-100th%)
2. Lowest U.S. Pricing
3. Highest U.S. Pricing
4. Average U.S. Cord Blood Costs (25-75th percentiles)
5. Median Cost of U.S. Storage (50% percentile)
C. Range of Pricing for Canadian Cord Blood Companies (1-100th percentiles)
1. Canadian Cord Blood Banking Price Range (1-100th%)
2. Lowest Canadian Pricing
3. Highest Canadian. Pricing
4. Average Canadian. Cord Blood Costs (25-75th percentiles)
5. Median Cost of Canadian Storage (50% percentile)

VIII. Comparative Analysis of Quality Variables
A. Technical Variables
1. Vapor-Phase Storage vs. Liquid-Phase Storage
2. Cryo-bags vs. Cryo-vials
3. Pentastarch vs. Hetastarch
4. Computer Controlled vs. Manual Rate Freezing
5. Whole Sample vs. Volume Reduction
6. High-Control vs. Low-Control Aseptic Processing
B. Corporate Variables
1. Corporate Stability
2. Scientific Expertise

PART 2: EXPECTANT PARENTS, SURVEY RESULTS & FINDINGS

I. Survey Overview
A. Survey Population
B. Characterization of Market Survey Respondents
1. Geographic Distribution of Market Survey Respondents
2. Household Income Distribution of Survey Respondents
a. All Respondents
b. U.S. Respondents
3. Respondent Breakdown by Race
4. Respondent Breakdown by Gender
5. Respondent Breakdown by Level of Education
6. Respondent Breakdown by Location (City vs. Suburban vs. Rural)
7. Regional Breakdown of U.S. Respondents
8. Demographic Conclusions

II. Rates of Awareness: Unaware / Minimally Informed / Moderately Informed / Knowledgeable
A. Overall
B. By Gender
C. By Household Income
1. All Respondents
2. U.S. Respondents
D. By Education
E. By Race
F. By Geographic Location
1. Region within U.S.
2. Location (City vs. Suburban vs. Rural)
G. By Number of Existing Children within Family (e.g. Birth Order)

III. Factors Influencing Awareness
A. Personal Exposure: Relative Impact of Family, Co-Workers, Peers
B. Informational Sources: Information Sites, Books Medical Pamphlets, Government Sources
C. Medical Exposure: General Doctors, Ob / Gyn, Midwifes, Nurse, Other
D. Promotional Sources: Internet Advertisements, Print Advertisements, Radio, TV, Other

IV. Factors Influencing Parental Decision-Making
A. Factors Influencing the Decision Not to Store Cord Blood
1. Knowledge Level
2. Price Sensitivity
3. Safety Concerns
4. Lack of Access
5. Misconceptions
B. Factors Influencing the Decision for Private vs. Public Storage of Cord Blood
1. Ethical Beliefs
2. Gender
3. Total Household Income
4. Level of Education (Highest Level Achieved by at Least One Parent)
5. Race
6. Geographic Location
a. Region within U.S.
b. City vs. Suburban vs. Rural
7. Access to Reliable Healthcare
8. Number of Existing Children within Family (Birth Order)
9. Source of Knowledge
10. Perceived Support of Medical Staff
11. Family Medical History
C. International Analysis of Cord Blood Banking Perceptions (Region-by-Region)

V. Parental Responsiveness to Health Statistics
A. Overview
B. Health Statistics
C. Health Statistic Conclusions

VI. Parental Expectations
A. Quality of Services
B. Willingness to Educate/Inform
C. Reputability of Organization

VII. Trends
A. Rates of Cord Blood Storage (units per year)
B. Rates of Parental Awareness
C. Cord Blood Research Publication Rates
D. Cord Blood Research Funding Levels
E. Cord Blood Patent Breakdown
F. Rates of Cord Blood Research Product Development

VIII. Informative Websites: Online Sources Utilized by Expectant Parents
A. Overview of Websites
1. Information Only
2. Commercial Affiliation
B. Dominant Regional Websites (International Analysis)
C. Most Important Criteria Used to Identify Sites to Inform Decision-Making
D. Underlying Reasons for Visiting Online Resources

IX. Private Cord Blood Banking: The “Model Customer”
A. Traits of a “Model Customer”
1. “Model Customer” for a Private Cord Blood Bank
2. “Model Customer” for a Public Cord Blood Bank
B. Ideal Price Range
C. Approaches for Communicating with Expectant Parents