Hybrid UCB banks in China – public storage as ethical biocapital

Sui, Suli and Sleeboom-Faulkner, Margaret (2019) Hybrid UCB banks in China – public storage as ethical biocapital. New Genetics and Society, 38 (1). pp. 60-79. ISSN 1463-6778

[img] PDF (This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in New Genetics and Society on 25.11.18, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14636778.2018.1549982) - Accepted Version
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Abstract

In China, under the heading of “private-for-public” banking, hybrid UCB banking has been politically supported by the government and is based on regulation developed since the 1990s. Although hybrid UCB banking was regarded as an “ethical” alternative to private UCB banking due to its accessibility to “the people”, this study, based on archival research and interviews with bankers, medical professionals, scientists and pregnant women contends that the practice of this ideal needs to be closely scrutinized. Analysing UCB bank networks in China in terms of “public biovalue” and “ethical biocapital”, we illustrate, first, how the synergy of public and private storage of UCB in hybrid models benefit private storage, and how transparency and oversight may increase donation and the uptake of UCB. Second, we describe the problems associated with this hybrid model. Finally, we show how the biovalue of public storage is used as ethical biocapital to buttress UCB networks.

Item Type: Article
Schools and Departments: School of Global Studies > Anthropology
Depositing User: Sharon Krummel
Date Deposited: 20 Nov 2018 14:47
Last Modified: 25 May 2020 01:00
URI: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/80319

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Project NameSussex Project NumberFunderFunder Ref
Bionetworking in Asia - A social science approach to international collaboration, informal exchanges, and responsible innovation in the life sciencesG0812EUROPEAN UNION283219
Bionetworking in Asia - International collaboration, exchange, and responsible innovation in the life sciencesG0750ESRC-ECONOMIC & SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCILES/I018107/1