Home Cord Blood vs Cord Tissue: What’s the difference and what’s the right choice for you?

Cord Blood vs Cord Tissue: What’s the difference and what’s the right choice for you?

12.11.2025

8 mins of reading

Everything you need to know about the stem cells found in cord blood and cord tissue.

[Post updated 12th November 2025]

When it comes to storing stem cells from your newborn baby, you may have heard of two options: cord blood and cord tissue. Both options can provide valuable stem cells for potential future use, but there are some important differences between the two.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the differences between cord blood stem cells and cord tissue stem cells, we’ll help you decide which option may be right for you and your family, and we’ll highlight how Smart Cells can support you in which decision will be the right choice for you and your family.

What is Cord Blood?

Cord blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord after a baby is born. It contains haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that can become different types of blood and immune cells. These cells have been used in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (also called “bone‐marrow transplant alternative”) to treat a variety of blood disorders, immune system disorders, and certain cancers (blood cancers) such as leukaemia and lymphoma.

The main use to date has been in the treatment of malignant and non‐malignant blood and bone‐marrow cancers. These stem cells are collected immediately after birth and stored in a special facility for potential future use.

There are over 80 conditions where a cord blood stem cell transplant can be used, including:

Blood cancers e.g. Leukaemia & Lymphoma
Blood disorders e.g. Sickle Cell Disease & Thalassaemia
Metabolic disorders e.g. Krabbe Disease
Immune conditions e.g. Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID)
Solid tumours e.g. Neuroblastoma or Retinoblastoma

Additionally, cord blood is being studied in the field of regenerative medicine (see our article How Cord Blood Banking Fits into Regenerative Medicine) for applications beyond traditional transplant medicine.

What is Cord Tissue?

Cord tissue refers to the connective tissue that surrounds the blood vessels in the umbilical cord (often including the layer known as Wharton’s jelly). It contains a type of stem cell, called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). While some MSCs are present in cord blood, they are particularly abundant and potent within cord tissue.

These MSCs have the potential to become a variety of different cell types, including bone, cartilage, muscle cells (and more) meaning they are being looked at for tissue repair, organ regeneration, and treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Stem cells from cord tissue can be used to treat cardiac disease, neural injuries (such as spinal cord injury and stroke), skeletal injuries, skin wounds, and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Like cord blood, cord tissue is collected immediately after birth and stored for potential future use.

Here are some conditions where cord tissue stem cells are currently being used in clinical trials:

Lupus
Diabetes
COVID-19 (as an immune/inflammatory modulator)
Chronic autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease & Rheumatoid arthritis
Sports injuries e.g. cartilage, ligament and bone repair
Osteoarthritis
Cardiovascular disease
Liver disease
Skin injuries e.g. burn treatments, wound treatments and skin grafts
Spinal cord injury
Traumatic brain injury
Stroke
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Eye treatments

Because the potential is still emerging, cord tissue banking is very much part of the future medical use scenario, compared to the more established use of cord blood, however the possibilities with cord tissue are very exciting!

Differences Between Cord Blood and Cord Tissue

The main difference between cord blood and cord tissue is the type of stem cells they contain:

Cord blood contains haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which can develop into blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets).
Cord tissue contains mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which can develop into a variety of cell types (bone, cartilage, muscle, nerve, etc).

Another difference is the conditions they can potentially treat:

Cord blood is commonly used to treat blood disorders and immune system disorders (including bone-marrow failure syndromes, genetic disorders of the blood system).
Cord tissue may have potential uses in regenerative medicine, such as repairing damaged tissues and organs. There are many uses still at the clinical trial stage.

It’s also important to note that both cord tissue and cord blood contain MSCs, but only cord blood contains HSCs.

Furthermore, the collection process and storage differ slightly: cord tissue banking collects a segment of the umbilical cord and cryogenically preserves it, whereas cord blood banking collects the remaining blood in the baby’s umbilical cord and freezes stem cell–rich units.

Pros & Cons: Cord Blood vs Cord Tissue Banking

Here’s a table summarising key advantages and disadvantages to help expectant parents compare:

Option	Pros	Cons
Cord Blood Banking	– Established therapy for many blood disorders, immune deficiencies, bone marrow failure. – HSCs provide life-saving stem cell therapy for around 80+ conditions. – Collection is straightforward, minimal risk. – Potential for future use in regenerative medicine.	– Primarily useful for blood/immune system disorders, less so for tissue/organ repair (yet). – If child has a genetic blood disorder, own cord blood may not be usable (autologous use may be limited). – Volume may be limited (especially for larger children/adults).
Cord Tissue Banking	– Rich source of MSCs (especially from Wharton’s jelly) for future regenerative therapies. – Expanding field: trials underway for neural, skin, muscle, cartilage, autoimmune uses. – Complements cord blood to give wider array of treatment options.	– Many uses are still in clinical trial stage, less “established” than HSC therapy. – Higher cost may apply for banking both. – Because technology is still evolving, the exact applications (and their timeline) are less certain.
Combined Banking (Cord Blood + Cord Tissue)	– Best option if budget allows: you bank both sets of stem cells, giving you the most future medical use coverage. – Gives peace of mind: “biological insurance” for both blood/immune system and tissue/organ repair.	– Higher cost than single option. – You’ll want to ensure the bank is experienced, high quality, and that you understand storage, processing, long-term viability. Here are a few questions to ask to compare cord blood banks.

Which Option Is Right for You?

The decision between cord blood and cord tissue banking ultimately depends on your family’s medical history, your budget, and your outlook on future medical possibilities.

If you have a family history of blood disorders, immune system disorders, or bone-marrow failure syndromes, then cord blood banking is especially relevant because HSCs are currently in use and have proven records.
If you are interested in the emerging field of regenerative medicine (tissue repair, organ regeneration, stem cell therapy for neural damage, autoimmune disease), then cord tissue banking may be very attractive because it gives access to MSCs.
If budget allows and you want to maximise your family’s options for potential future use, then combined banking (both cord blood and cord tissue) gives the widest array of cell types and treatment possibilities.

It’s also important to note that the need for treatment can’t be predicted or guaranteed. Storing your baby’s stem cells is a safeguard rather than a guarantee.

Another practical point to consider: the stem cell collection process is completely compatible with delayed cord clamping, which not all parents are aware of. Many banks (including Smart Cells) support collection even if you choose to delay clamping.

Key Questions to Ask Your Provider

When you are talking with a cord blood/tissue bank, here are some useful questions you might want to have to hand:

What types of stem cells are processed and stored (HSCs, MSCs)?
What is the lab accreditation and storage process? (GMP standards, cryogenic freezing in liquid nitrogen?)
What is the cost and what does it cover (initial collection kit, shipping, processing, storage for life)?
If a transplant or therapy is needed, what support does the bank provide in retrieving and releasing the unit? (See our Transplant Stories for more information this)
Are both cord blood and cord tissue options available? Do they offer combined packages?
What is the long-term viability guarantee, and how are fees managed?

How Smart Cells Supports You

At Smart Cells, we offer both cord blood and cord tissue banking, and combined banking options to suit your family’s needs. Our expert team can help you determine which option is right for your family’s medical history and future outlook, and answer any questions you may have about the collection process, storage, processing and long-term viability.

We offer affordable packages and competitive pricing to make stem cell banking more accessible for more families. We also partner with leading research and clinical trial networks, supporting the advancing field of stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine.

In conclusion, both cord blood and cord tissue banking provide valuable stem cells for potential future use. Understanding the difference between the two, factoring in your family history, budget and outlook on future therapies helps you make an informed decision on which option is right for your family.

If you’re unsure, remember: opting for the most comprehensive path (banking both cord blood and cord tissue) gives you the widest future coverage. If you need to prioritise, the decision hinges on what your family is most likely to benefit from today (not just what is possible tomorrow).

And whichever you choose, one thing is clear: your baby’s umbilical cord is a rich, unique source of stem cells, often discarded as medical waste, when in fact it offers a powerful opportunity to safeguard health.

Feel free to reach out to our friendly Smart Cells team, we’re here to help you navigate this important decision!

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