The placenta is the most stem cell-rich organ produced during pregnancy — and in the vast majority of births worldwide, it is discarded as medical waste within hours of delivery.
Placenta banking is the decision to change that.
It is the process of collecting, processing, and cryogenically preserving placental tissue immediately after birth — banking it as a long-term biological resource for your family, alongside or independently from cord blood and cord tissue. And the scientific case for doing so is growing faster than most parents realize.
This guide explains what placenta banking actually is, what the stem cells inside it can do, how it fits with cord blood and cord tissue banking, and what the latest clinical research says about where placental stem cell medicine is heading.
What Placenta Banking Actually Is
Placenta banking follows the same fundamental model as cord blood banking — a collection in the delivery room, overnight courier to a laboratory, then cryogenic storage until your family needs it. The difference is the tissue source and the stem cell type it contains.
Collection
After your baby is delivered and the placenta has been expelled, your healthcare provider prepares the placental tissue for transport using the AlphaCord collection kit. The collection is non-invasive, takes only a few minutes, and poses zero risk to the mother or baby. It occurs entirely after birth.
Processing
Once the tissue arrives at AlphaCord's laboratory — typically within 24 hours via pre-paid overnight courier — trained laboratory staff test it for viability, sterility, and cell count. The stem cells are then isolated, processed, and prepared for long-term cryogenic storage.
Storage
The processed placental tissue is cryogenically frozen using controlled-rate cooling and stored at approximately −196°C in temperature-monitored facilities. At this temperature, all cellular aging is biologically paused.
Learn more about AlphaCord's placenta tissue banking process →
Why the Placenta Is Biologically Exceptional
The Most Abundant MSC Source at Birth
The placenta is not merely an organ that supports pregnancy — it is one of the most stem cell-dense tissues in the human body. As PMC/NIH clinical grade stem cell banking research documents, with millions of live births every year, the placenta — typically considered medical waste — could feasibly provide more abundant sources of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) than any other part of the human body.
Because the placenta is substantially larger than the umbilical cord, it yields a significantly higher volume of MSCs than cord tissue alone — providing more raw material for potential future treatments, and potentially enough for multiple therapeutic applications from a single collection event.
What Placental MSCs Can Do
The MSCs found in placental tissue are multipotent — they can differentiate into bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, and connective tissue. More clinically significant, they have powerful anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, secreting bioactive signaling molecules that regulate immune responses and promote tissue repair.
As PubMed research on incorporating placenta into cord blood banking establishes, placenta-derived MSCs should be banked alongside their hematopoietic counterparts — the concomitant banking of non-hematopoietic cells from placenta lays the foundation for clinical trials exploring placenta-derived cell therapies in regenerative medicine, either alone or in combination with cord blood HSCs.
Critically, placental MSCs occupy a unique biological position: they are more primitive than adult stem cells — making them more adaptable — while avoiding the ethical concerns associated with embryonic stem cells. As PMC/NIH research on placenta-derived stem cells confirms, placental cells display differentiation capacity toward all three germ layers, while also displaying immunomodulatory effects, supporting the possibility of use in allogeneic transplantation settings. Placental MSCs express low levels of HLA-ABC and do not express HLA-DR — making them immunoprivileged, meaning they can potentially be used by other family members without strict matching requirements.
What the Clinical Research Says
Multiple Sclerosis: A 2025 Phase 1 Trial
The most recent published clinical evidence comes from a 2025 Phase 1 clinical trial published in Scientific Reports that evaluated placenta-derived MSC therapy for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. The trial assessed safety and feasibility in five participants with SPMS, monitoring adverse events over six months alongside cognitive, neuroimaging, and immunological outcomes. The study found the approach safe and feasible — with placental MSCs demonstrating the anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and neuroprotective effects that make them compelling candidates for autoimmune neurological conditions. MS affects 2.3 million people globally.
Type 2 Diabetes: Reduced Insulin Dependency
A pilot clinical trial published in PubMed investigated placenta-derived MSC transplantation in ten Type 2 diabetes patients with islet cell dysfunction. Results showed that the daily mean insulin dose decreased significantly following treatment, with C-peptide levels (a marker of insulin production) increasing. In 4 of 10 patients, insulin doses were reduced by more than 50% after infusion. No adverse events including fever, chills, or liver damage were reported. Renal and cardiac function improved after infusion. The researchers concluded that PD-MSC transplantation represents a safe and feasible therapeutic approach for T2D patients — pending larger controlled studies.
Regenerative Medicine Breadth
As PMC/NIH's overview of stem cell banking for regenerative medicine confirms, placental tissue MSCs are capable of differentiating into bone, cartilage, fat, and neuronal structures, with clinical trials addressing MSC-based therapies in regenerative applications expanding globally. The potential of placental MSCs to generate bone and cartilage is particularly significant given that more than 1 million individuals in the United States annually suffer from articular joint injuries involving cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and difficult-to-heal bone fractures.
Active research areas for placental MSCs include:
- Neurological Conditions: Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury
- Metabolic Conditions: Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome
- Autoimmune Conditions: Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Crohn's disease, graft-versus-host disease
- Cardiovascular Applications: Cardiac tissue repair, vascular complications
- Orthopedic Applications: Cartilage repair, bone regeneration, ligament and tendon healing
- Respiratory Applications: Lung injury, cytokine storm suppression
The science is moving fast — and families who bank placenta today are positioning themselves at the front of it.
How Placenta Banking Fits With Cord Blood and Cord Tissue
Three Sources, Three Distinct Stem Cell Types
Cord blood, cord tissue, and placental tissue are not interchangeable — each contains distinct cell populations with different capabilities:
Cord blood → Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) 80+ FDA-approved uses today. Proven across 40,000+ transplants worldwide for blood cancers, immune disorders, and bone marrow failure conditions.
Cord tissue → Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from Wharton's jelly Future-facing, with hundreds of active clinical trials in autoimmune, neurological, and orthopedic conditions.
Placenta → The highest concentration of MSCs available from a single birth event Largest volume, broadest cell type diversity, immunoprivileged profile, and properties that extend beyond cord tissue alone.
As PMC/NIH's future state of newborn stem cell banking research documents, the potential for MSCs isolated from cord tissue or placental tissue to facilitate expansion of cord blood hematopoietic stem cells provides further rationale for storing multiple newborn tissues from the same donor — the two are not just separate resources, they can work together to enhance transplant outcomes.
Why All Three Together Makes Scientific Sense
Banking all three from the same birth event is the most comprehensive biological preservation strategy available. The PMC/NIH research on clinical grade adult stem cell banking confirms that placenta and the tissues routinely discarded at birth could feasibly provide more abundant MSC sources than any other part of the human body — and that long-term banking of placenta-derived MSCs will potentially have a greater impact on future regenerative medicine than any other banked tissue.
AlphaCord's Cord Blood, Cord Tissue, and Placenta Package allows families to store all three stem cell types from a single birth event, in a single collection process.
The One-Time Collection Window
The placenta is available once — in the hours immediately following delivery. After that, it is gone permanently as a banking resource. Unlike bone marrow, which can be harvested at multiple points in life, or adipose tissue, which is accessible through medical procedure at any adult age, placental tissue cannot be recovered after the delivery room.
This is not a decision that can be revisited. Families who want to bank placental tissue must enroll with AlphaCord before their due date, ensure the collection kit is in the hospital bag on delivery day, and inform their delivery team in advance.
The collection adds fewer than five minutes to the post-delivery process, involves no additional risk, and requires no modification to your birth plan.
How Long Can Placenta Tissue Be Stored?
When cryopreserved at approximately −196°C in liquid nitrogen vapor, all cellular biological activity is paused. Cord blood stem cells banked in the early 1990s have been successfully used in transplants decades later with no measurable degradation — and placental tissue stored using the same cryopreservation methods maintains viability on the same timescale.
Samples banked at birth could still be clinically usable when your child is an adult — and beyond. The Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation provides detailed documentation of long-term cryopreservation viability across newborn stem cell types.
Questions to Ask Before Enrolling
What cell types are preserved from placenta? AlphaCord preserves MSC-rich placental tissue optimized for long-term cryogenic storage.
Is the collection compatible with C-sections? Yes — placenta banking is fully compatible with both vaginal and cesarean deliveries.
Is AlphaCord AABB-accredited for placenta processing? Yes. AlphaCord's laboratory (CryoPoint Biorepository) holds AABB accreditation and FDA registration covering cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta tissue. Testing and processing of all three samples is conducted in full compliance with FDA, AABB, and AATB regulations.
Are there separate retrieval fees for placenta vs. cord blood? AlphaCord does not charge retrieval fees for life-saving medical use of any stored sample.
What is the pricing structure? AlphaCord offers bundled pricing for cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta together — significantly more cost-effective than enrolling separately. View current pricing →
Can I speak with someone before deciding? AlphaCord offers complimentary consultations with personal medical advisors — the only cord blood bank with an in-house team of scientists available to walk families through their options before enrolling. Book a free consultation →
Quick FAQs
Is placenta banking the same as cord blood banking? No. Cord blood banking collects the blood remaining in the umbilical cord, which is rich in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) with 80+ FDA-approved uses today. Placenta banking collects tissue from the placenta itself, which is rich in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) — a different cell type being researched extensively for regenerative medicine applications. Both are collected at birth, but they are distinct biological resources.
Is there any risk to the mother or baby from placenta collection? No. Placenta collection occurs after the baby is born and the placenta has been delivered. It involves no procedure on the mother or newborn, and uses only tissue that would otherwise be discarded as medical waste.
Can placental stem cells be used by other family members? Yes — potentially. Placental MSCs are immunoprivileged, expressing low HLA markers, which means they may be usable by family members without strict matching. As PMC/NIH research on placenta-derived stem cells confirms, placental cells have been shown to engraft in multiple organs and tissues in allogeneic transplantation settings.
Can I bank placenta alongside cord blood and cord tissue at the same time? Yes — and this is the most comprehensive option. AlphaCord's all-three bundle collects cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta in a single post-delivery process using one kit, one courier, and one storage enrollment. Explore the bundle →
Does delayed cord clamping affect placenta collection? No. Placenta collection is entirely unaffected by delayed cord clamping — it uses tissue from the placenta itself, not residual blood in the cord. You can delay clamping for the newborn's benefit and still bank all three tissue types.
When should I decide and enroll? By the end of your second trimester at the latest. AlphaCord needs time to ship your collection kit so it arrives before your due date. Enroll with AlphaCord today →
The Bottom Line
The placenta is the most stem cell-rich tissue produced at birth — and it is discarded by default after every delivery. Banking it is a one-time decision that preserves a biological resource that cannot be recovered after the delivery room closes.
The clinical research behind placental MSCs is real, peer-reviewed, and accelerating — from a 2025 Phase 1 MS trial to pilot diabetes data showing meaningful insulin reduction, to a growing body of preclinical and clinical evidence across neurological, autoimmune, cardiovascular, and orthopedic conditions.
This is not a promise of cure. It is the preservation of biological optionality — at the only moment it is available.
AlphaCord is AABB-accredited, FDA-registered, and part of the CSG.BIO Group — one of the largest life sciences organizations in the United States with over 950,000 stored stem cell samples. No retrieval fees. Transparent bundled pricing. Complimentary Medical Educator consultations to help your family decide with confidence.
Explore AlphaCord's Cord Blood, Cord Tissue, and Placenta Package →
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your OB-GYN or hematologist for guidance specific to your family's medical history and circumstances.
