By Matt Pelo, Founder & CEO of Fore Genomics
Every year, tens of thousands of families choose to bank their newborn’s cord blood—a decision that reflects a growing desire among today’s parents to be informed, proactive, and prepared for whatever lies ahead. As a new parent and someone who has spent my career at the intersection of early-life health and precision genetics, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful—and how consequential—that instinct can be.
Cord blood banking has long offered families a meaningful way to preserve future therapeutic options. But we can now build on that foundation with something even more valuable: real-time genetic insight that helps guide a child’s care from the very first days of life.
At Fore Genomics, we believe genetic screening is a natural and powerful complement to cord blood banking. Where cord blood banking preserves possibility, genomic screening provides preparedness. Together, these two tools give children and their families a stronger, more empowered start.
Cord Blood Banking Creates a Foundation for Future Therapeutics
Cord blood—whether stored privately for family use or donated to a public registry—contains hematopoietic stem cells capable of supporting treatments across a wide and growing range of conditions, including malignancies, blood disorders, metabolic diseases, and immune deficiencies.[3]
As regenerative medicine and gene-based therapies continue to advance, the clinical value of having cord blood readily available is only increasing.[4]
For families who bank privately, the stored cells remain reserved for their child or a biological sibling who may need them. For families who donate publicly, those cells can benefit patients in need—and the donor child remains eligible for a public match if they ever require one. In both cases, cord blood banking represents a meaningful act of long-term health stewardship.
Genetic Screening Brings Clarity From Day One
Cord blood banking looks toward the future. Genetic screening informs the present. Research now shows that as many as 10% of otherwise healthy newborns who undergo comprehensive genomic screening will carry an actionable predisposition to a genetic disease[1]—information that can reshape how clinicians monitor, support, and intervene during a child’s earliest months.[2]
Traditional newborn screening programs, while critically important, evaluate only a limited panel of conditions.[5]
Whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing opens a far wider window into a child’s biology, identifying risks long before symptoms emerge.
From a single at-home cheek swab, comprehensive genetic screening can uncover:
- Conditions that benefit from proactive clinical surveillance
- Metabolic and enzymatic disorders responsive to early dietary or pharmacologic management
- Immune or hematologic risks that inform neonatal monitoring
- Pharmacogenomic variants that guide safe and effective medication selection[8]
- Genetic factors affecting growth, development, and nutritional needs
- Carrier status for heritable conditions relevant to future family planning
The clinical actionability of these findings has been formalized by professional societies such as the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, whose secondary findings guidelines now cover over 80 genes associated with conditions where early knowledge changes outcomes.[6]
At Fore, this principle is central to our mission: empowered parents should not have to wait for symptoms, missed milestones, or a physician referral before accessing life-changing genetic information. Our 360 model removes those barriers. Families can order a kit online, collect a simple cheek swab at home, and receive results—along with a consultation with a certified genetic counselor—without requiring a clinic visit or blood draw.
How Genetic Screening and Cord Blood Banking Work Together
When a family chooses to bank cord blood and complete genetic screening, the combination creates a more comprehensive and cohesive strategy for supporting long-term child health. Rather than two separate decisions, they represent a unified approach to personalized, proactive pediatric care.
A More Complete Picture of a Child’s Health
Genetic screening identifies inherited risks and biological predispositions. Cord blood banking preserves a child’s healthiest stem cells at the moment of birth. When used together, families and clinicians gain two complementary tools that support both proactive surveillance and future therapeutic intervention.[7]
Turning Genetic Risk Into Early, Targeted Action
Genetic screening can identify conditions—such as immune deficiencies, metabolic disorders, or hemoglobinopathies—where early monitoring or treatment substantially improves prognosis. If those risks are confirmed, having cord blood already stored means clinicians have a potential therapeutic resource available should the child ever require a stem-cell transplant.[4] This moves the model of pediatric care from reactive to prepared, which is especially important for conditions that are time-sensitive or progressively damaging.
Supporting Precision Pediatric Medicine
Pediatrics is shifting decisively toward individualized, genetically informed care.[7] Genetic results help clinicians understand why a child may be at risk, while cord blood provides a resource applicable to both established stem-cell therapies and emerging treatments in clinical trials that rely on healthy blood-forming cells. Together, they give families access to both early insight and future innovation.
Benefits for All Families – Not Only Private Bankers
It is worth emphasizing that genetic screening is equally valuable for families who donate cord blood to the public registry. Genetic insights follow the child—enabling tailored clinical care and early surveillance regardless of where the cord blood is stored or used. This dual approach ensures that every family, not just those who bank privately, can take an informed and proactive role in their child’s health from birth.
A More Informed, More Prepared Start to Life
We are entering a new era of pediatric medicine—one in which genetics informs care from the very first breath, and where regenerative and cellular therapies continue to expand what is possible for children who need them. Cord blood banking and genomic screening represent two pillars of that future: one captures a child’s healthiest stem cells at birth, and the other reveals the biological roadmap that should guide their earliest care.
Together, they give families not just hope, but strategy. Not just potential, but preparedness.
At Fore, we are committed to removing the barriers that have historically limited access to these tools, so that every family can benefit from the innovations shaping modern pediatric medicine. When families combine cord blood banking with comprehensive genetic screening, they are doing far more than collecting a sample or storing cells—they are taking a proactive, empowering step toward anticipating their child’s needs long before challenges arise.
It is a smarter, more informed way to support the next generation from day one. To learn more about our partnership with Celebration Stem Cell Centre, visit: celebrationstemcellcentre.com/services/pediatric-genetic-screening.
FAQs
Can I do genetic screening if I’m banking cord blood?
Yes, and they complement each other. Cord blood banking preserves stem cells for possible future treatment, while genetic screening gives you actionable insight into your child’s health right now.
Does genetic screening replace newborn screening?
No. State newborn screening checks a limited panel of conditions. Whole-genome or whole-exome screening looks far wider and can identify risks before symptoms appear, complementing the state program.