This bill reauthorizes funding for stem cell research and treatments, increasing the budget for the next five years.
Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act of 2026This bill reauthorizes through FY2031 and revises programs that help patients receive transplants of bone marrow or umbilical cord blood from biologically unrelated donors. These programs are administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The bill reauthorizes the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program. This program supports transplantation of bone marrow and cord blood by increasing the quantities of donations, providing processes for matching and distributing donated materials to patients, and providing related information and research. The bill also expands periodic reviews of the state of stem cell science to specifically include a review of the use of high-quality cord blood units and other emergent technologies to develop new therapies for potential inclusion in the program. Also, the bill reauthorizes and revises the National Cord Blood Inventory program, through which HRSA contracts with qualified cord blood banks to collect and maintain a supply of high-quality units for transplantation through the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program. The bill amends the inventory program by (1) changing the inventory goal from 150,000 units to a sufficient supply as determined by HRSA, (2) requiring HRSA to manage the size and composition of the inventory to maximize clinical utility and efficiency, and (3) defining high quality cord blood unit to mean a unit meeting current industry standards and the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration.
