store umbilical cord blood

Save, Store, Donate: Reasons Parents Should Consider Cord Blood Banking

2014-12-23T01:52:00.005-08:00

Save, Store, Donate: Reasons Parents Should Consider Cord Blood Banking

When you go to the bank, you deposit money, right? Well, some “banks,” which are actually advanced scientific labs, will “bank” blood – umbilical cord blood. Women deposit their umbilical cord blood immediately after birth, and it’s available for use for any family member. Wow! Does that sound strange? To some, hiring a company to look over their stem cell-filled cord blood for the rest of their life is perfectly normal. More than that, it could be life-saving.

How It’s Done
When your baby is born, cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord. Only three to five ounces is collected from each cord. The amount is small enough to treat an ill child, but not enough to treat an adult. Still, multiple units of matched cord blood may be able to treat an adult.

Why It’s Done
Cord blood is collected so that, later on in life, blood diseases can be treated using the stem cells in the blood. Babies who need stem cell transplants can receive their own stem cells in a very usable format. For example, if a patient needs stem cells for cancer therapy or some other illness, rather than collecting it from bone marrow, the cord blood can be used.

The disadvantage with using bone marrow, or regular blood transfusions, is that it’s harder to find a match exactly when a patient needs it. On the other hand, having banked cord blood makes finding a donor easy – the cord blood is a perfect match and can be used on-demand.

Patients using cord blood also recover more quickly when they receive stem cell transplants. There are also some therapies on the horizon that use patient stem cells to help accelerate healing processes in a variety of conditions.

Planning Ahead
According to companies like StemCyte™, who do cord blood banking, you need to notify your bank of choice at least 4 to 6 weeks before your due date. This is so that preparations can be made for your cord blood. If you don’t notify them on time, you won’t be able to bank the blood.

You can choose to either bank the blood with a private company or a public one.

Private Vs Public Banks
Private companies charge a fee for their services, but they preserve the cord blood for you, specifically. If you, or anyone in your family, ever needs the stem cells, you are guaranteed them in the future.

Public companies do not guarantee your blood. It may be used for you, other people, or for research. This is an options you may or may not want to choose, depending on what you think you will need.

Public companies are free, which is why some people choose to donate to them. Of course, if you’re going through the trouble of donating, you might well want to pay for the benefit of having access to the blood.

You Can’t Cure Any Disease
While stem cells are capable of becoming any cell in the body, and therefore are instrumental in the treatment of a variety of diseases, they cannot cure everything, and there are therapies that are not yet approved by the FDA.

For example, you can use the cord blood if you have a family history of disease that harms the blood and immune system later on in life. For example, families with a strong history of leukemia and some cancers like sickle-cell anemia, use banked blood as a treatment.

But, not all moms can donate their cord blood. So, if you are younger than 18, have already been treated for cancer, of have received chemotherapy, you’ve had malaria in the last three years, or have been treated for a blood disease like hepatitis or HIV/AIDS, then you cannot use your blood cord. Finally, if you’re delivering the baby prematurely, you cannot collect the cord blood and donate it – you can collect it for private use, however.

Where To Bank Your Cord Blood
There are many places all over the world that will do this for you. Here is a list by country. There are also places where you can donate your cord blood to others for use, and where there is no guarantee that it will be available to you for future use.

To donate the cord blood, you must sign up between the 28th and 34th week of pregnancy. This is essential, and if you do not do it during this time, you can be turned down. If you are donating to a private bank, you will talk with your doctor as soon as you can about the procedure, and the blood is collected when you give birth.

Dr. Wise Young is one of the world’s most outstanding neuroscientists and a foremost leader in spinal cord injury research. He enjoys sharing his research and ideas online through blogging.

Vast Majority of Life-Saving Cord Blood Sits Unused

2014-12-23T01:52:00.002-08:00

Vast Majority of Life-Saving Cord Blood Sits Unused
High costs keep patients from using stem cells harvested from umbilical cords
December 5, 2014 |By Lydia Chain and Scienceline
studying ways to treat HIV, cerebral palsy and other diseases using umbilical cord blood

Scientists are studying ways to treat HIV, cerebral palsy and other diseases using umbilical cord blood, although little of the collected blood will actually be used.
Credit: Banc de Sang via flickr
You’d think doctors and patients would be clamoring for cells so versatile they could help reboot a body suffering from everything from leukemia to diabetes. But a new report shows that an important source of these stem cells—discarded umbilical cords—is rarely used because of high costs and the risk of failure.

Stem cells drawn from newborns’ umbilical cord blood are sometimes used to treat medical conditions, especially bone and blood cancers like multiple myeloma or lymphoma by replacing dysfunctional blood-producing cells in bone marrow. Generally the diseased cells are destroyed with chemotherapy and irradiation. Then new stem cells are transplanted into the patient to restore function. Cord blood stem cells are an alternative to bone marrow transplants and peripheral blood transplants, in which stem cells are gathered from the blood stream. Cord blood tends to integrate better with the body and it is easier to find a suitable donor than the alternatives.

Yet less than 3 percent of cord blood collected in the U.S. is ever used whereas the rest sits uselessly in blood banks, according to a recent report in Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. Immunologist Enal Razvi is author of the report and managing director of Select Biosciences, a biotechnology consulting agency. Razvi found that public cord blood banks, which store donated frozen units for transplants as needed, have only a 1 to 3 percent turnover annually. Most of their inventory sits unused year after year. For example, at Community Blood Services in New Jersey, patients have only used 278 of its 13,000 cords since it opened in 1996, according to business development director Misty Marchioni. Usage is even lower at private cord blood banks, which charge clients thousands of dollars to store a cord in the event a family member one day needs it.

Unlike bone marrow, the main alternative stem cell source, cells transplanted from cord blood carry little risk of graft-versus-host disease, a deadly condition in which the body rejects a transplant. Scientists believe this is because a baby’s immune system is closer to a blank slate, so their stem cells can integrate with the patient’s body more easily. But cord blood transplants also take longer to start working, requiring longer hospital stays and upping the bill. Due to storage and testing costs, the cords themselves also get pricy. “The cost of the cord is prohibitively high,” Razvi explains. Each unit of cord blood costs between $35,000 and $40,000 and most adults require two units for a successful transplant. Insurance companies will generally pay a set amount for a stem cell transplant regardless of where the cells come from. The price tag on a cord blood transplant can run up to $300,000, which may not be fully covered.

Cord blood stem cell transplants also have a higher failure rate than other transplant methods. If the transplant fails, it leaves patients with a compromised immune system in addition to their original disease and medical bills. Because the preparation for transplant includes wiping out the patient’s original bone marrow, the entire body has to be repopulated with stem cells able to replace it. There are not many stem cells in each cord. Compared with bone marrow or peripheral blood there is a greater chance that there will not be enough stem cells that actually implant and begin producing blood and bone marrow. “It’s like spreading a small amount of seeds in a big garden,” says Mitchell Horwitz, who teaches cell therapy at Duke University Medical Center. “Sometimes it just doesn’t take.”

Martin Smithmyer, chief executive of the private bank Americord, claims that more clients will eventually use their cords, especially as more applications are found for cord blood stem cells. But some scientists disagree. Steven Joffe, a professor of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, says that many treatments cannot be done with a patient’s own stem cells because genetic diseases would already be present in the cord blood and that bone marrow might be a better option for relatives. “The likelihood they are ever going to use that product is vanishingly small,” he says.

Despite the low usage, advocates say cord blood programs have been crucial in improving transplant options for racial minorities, because it can be hard to find a bone marrow match for some groups. Cord blood does not need to match the patient as perfectly as bone marrow. “This has transformed the treatment of minority patients,” says Andromachi Scaradavou, medical director of the National Cord Blood Program, a public bank based in New York City. “In the past we didn’t have good donors to offer them.” Community Blood Services’s Marchioni also maintains that cord blood is a good emergency option, because finding a compatible bone marrow or peripheral blood donor can take months or years. “If you need a transplant quickly,” she says, “it’s easy to get cord blood off of a shelf.”

Still, experts are working on more efficient ways of ensuring widespread availability of cord blood without having so much of it sit forever unused. Researchers are also continuing to look for ways to improve transplant success and to increase the number of stem cells obtained from each cord, potentially bringing down costs and making cord blood transplants feasible for more patients. “If the cost could be lowered,” Scaradavou says, “it would help a lot of patients get the treatment they need.”

Valuable Cord Blood Sits Unused

2014-12-23T01:51:00.002-08:00

Valuable Cord Blood Sits Unused
High costs are keeping patients from using stem cells harvested from umbilical cords.

WIKIMEDIA, MAGNUS MANSKE
You’d think doctors and patients would be clamoring for cells so versatile they could help reboot a body suffering from everything from leukemia to diabetes. But a new report shows that an important source of these stem cells—discarded umbilical cords—is rarely utilized because of high costs and the risk of failure.

Stem cells drawn from the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies are sometimes used to treat medical conditions like lymphoma and sickle-cell anemia by replacing dysfunctional blood-producing cells in bone marrow. Yet less than 3 percent of cord blood collected in the United States is ever used, while the rest sit uselessly in blood banks, according to a September Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News report.

“The cost of the cord is prohibitively high,” explained immunologist Enal Razvi, author of the report and director of Select Biosciences, a biotechnology consulting agency. Each unit of cord blood costs between $35,000 and $40,000, and most adults require two units for a successful transplant.

Unlike bone marrow, the main alternative stem cell source, cells transplanted from cord blood carry little risk of graft-versus-host disease, a deadly condition in which the body rejects a transplant. Scientists believe this is because a baby’s immune system is closer to a blank slate, so their stem cells can integrate with the patient’s body more easily. But cord blood transplants also take longer to start working, requiring longer hospital stays and upping the bill. Insurance companies will generally pay a set amount for a stem cell transplant regardless of where the cells come from. The price tag on a cord blood transplant can run up to $300,000, which may not be fully covered.

There is also a risk that a transplant could fail entirely, leaving patients with a compromised immune system in addition to their original disease and medical bills.

“It’s like spreading a small amount of seeds in a big garden,” said Mitchell Horwitz, who teaches cell therapy at Duke University Medical Center. “Sometimes it just doesn’t take.”

These complications help explain the low usage of cord blood in the United States. Razvi found that public cord blood banks, which store donated frozen units for transplants as needed, have only a 1 percent to 3 percent turnover annually. Most of their inventory sits unused year after year. For example, at Community Blood Services in New Jersey, patients have only used 278 of its 13,000 cords since it opened in 1996, according to business development director Misty Marchioni.

PUBLIC CORD BLOOD BANK

2014-02-24T05:18:00.006-08:00

PUBLIC CORD BLOOD BANK

Héma-Québec collects, processes, analyzes and stores umbilical cord blood. There are currently more than 8,000 units of cord blood in Héma-Québec’s Public Cord Blood Bank ready to be used. In addition to meeting local and national needs, it contributes to international efforts to find stem cells for patients awaiting a transplant.

The organizational structure of Héma-Québec’s Public Cord Blood Bank includes:

a stem cell laboratory responsible for the qualification, processing and cryopreservation of cord blood units;
a team dedicated to recruiting and screening mothers.

Héma-Québec’s cord blood collection program is active in the following partner hospitals:
St. Mary’s Hospital Center
CHU Sainte-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital Center
Royal Victoria Hospital
CHU de Québec (mother-child centre)
Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé de Laval
Centre hospitalier de LaSalle
Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal
Lakeshore General Hospital.

Study uses cord blood stem cells in hearing loss treatment

2014-02-24T05:18:00.003-08:00

Study uses cord blood stem cells in hearing loss treatment

When children fall and scrape their knee, their body begins an amazing repair process. Blood coagulates to form a protective cover and skin cells begin to regenerate. Add a kiss and a bandage and the knee is usually completely healed within a week or two. But what happens if that child is born with a more severe problem – such as a heart defect or hearing loss? As amazing as the human body can be, sometimes its natural healing process needs a little help to get started.

That's the impetus behind a study using umbilical cord blood to treat hearing loss in children. Florida Hospital for Children and Cord Blood Registry (CBR) are launching a FDA-regulated, Phase 1 safety study of the use of cord blood stem cells to treat children with sensorineural hearing loss.

cord blood graphResearchers are currently in the enrollment phase of the study. Ten children between the ages of 6 weeks and 6 years old will be treated using their own stored umbilical cord blood. Patients will receive one intravenous infusion of their own umbilical cord blood stem cells and return for follow-up at one month, six months and one year post-treatment.

Children with genetic deafness are ineligible for study participation. More information on study enrollment and criteria can be found at http://www.cordblood.com/stem-cell-research/cord-blood-research/hearing-loss

According to the Center for Hearing and Communication, approximately 3 million children in the United States have a hearing loss; 1.3 million of them are under the age of three. Children with sensorineural hearing loss experience problems or deformities with the cochlea (sensory) or the hearing nerve (neural) due to illness, birth defects, medication, noise or head trauma.

Although hearing aids and cochlear implants are effective means of treating sensorineural hearing loss in both children and adults, these instruments do not repair damaged hearing. If successful, cord blood stem cell treatment could repair the damage, leading to improved speech and language skills, social interaction, and cognitive learning abilities for children with acquired sensorineural hearing loss.
Cord Blood Registry is a cord banking company headquartered in San Bruno, California. Currently, the company participates in FDA-regulated clinical trials for autism, cerebral palsy, pediatric stroke and traumatic brain injury. This study marks the first for hearing loss treatment.

Researchers learned the benefits of using cord blood in 1988 when the first sibling-donor cord blood transplant was performed for a five-year-old child with Fanconi anemia. In 2002, they began exploring stem cells' ability to help the body heal itself. By 2005, clinical trials were in place to investigate newborn stem cell therapies for damaged tissue. Today, more than one million people have benefited from stem cell treatment for more than 80 different diseases.

Cord blood stem cells have documented success in treating leukemia, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hodgkins disease and Non-Hodgkins lymphoma to name a few. Researchers are hopeful cord blood will eventually be effective in the treatment of AIDS, heart disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury and stroke.

What makes stem cells so desirable? Stem cells are considered the body's "master cells" because they have the ability to create the different types of cells that make up human organs, blood, tissue and immune system. Stem cells, typically found in bone marrow and fat tissue, have the ability to divide and develop into any of the three main types of cells found in the blood: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Although cord blood stem cells have the same capacity as stem cells found in other parts of the body, there is less of a risk for transmitting infectious disease or being rejected by the host. They are also much easier and safer to collect.

Cord blood stem cells are different from the controversial embryonic stem cells, which require the destruction of a human embryo to obtain. Cord blood is collected with no risk to the mother or child and can be frozen and stored for many years. More than 200 hospitals actively collect cord blood from babies (with mother's consent).

Parents must make the decision to collect and store their baby's newborn stem cells immediately after birth. After the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut, the remaining blood in the umbilical cord is drawn into a collection bag. Costs include $2,000 for the procedure and approximately $125/year to store the baby's core blood. Parents may also choose to donate their cord blood to public storage banks. The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages public cord-blood donations; however, opposes private banking in most cases.

UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD RESEARCH A VALUE TOOL

2014-02-24T05:18:00.000-08:00

UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD RESEARCH A VALUE TOOL

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Dad Central for the Cord Blood Registry. I received promotional item to thank me for my participation.”

When I had my first child, I learned that there’s nothing more exciting and nerve racking than waiting for my baby to arrive. Recently, I learned that men can help to control things such and safety and the security of my family. One of those things is considering whether to bank or donate your newborn’s core blood stem cells.

Stem cells that are in a newborn’s umbilical cord have unique characteristics, other than are found in other parts of the body. Cord blood is rich in hematopoietic steam cells. HSC’s that are acquired from cord blood offer advantages compared to adult stem cells that come from bone marrow, and cord blood can be collected without posing risk to the mother or the newborn.

Because this information isn’t really presented in a fair and balanced manner, more than 90% of newborn stem cells are discarded as medical waste. There is only one chance to collect and store these stem cells, and that is immediately after birth. Expectant parents can either choose to store their child’s umbilical cord blood, or they can donate it to a public bank. As of now, only a select number of hospitals are able to collect the cord blood for storage in public cord blood banks.

A lot of parents don’t know that cord blood can have the potential for treatments and medical use that was not previously imagined. About 1/3 of parent’s comprehend that stem cells taken from umbilical cord blood are being used in regenerative and transplant medicine more often. Over the past 25 years cord blood stem cells have been used worldwide to treat nearly 80 serious diseases and disorders in adults and children.

The Family Cord Blood Banking Act has been introduced to Congress. This will ensure that cord blood banking services will be a qualified medical expense. For those people that believe in the continued study of stem cell research and want to provide their family with potential treatment options, cost should not be a barrier to preserve these unique, powerful cells.

BedJuddbabygirl Rebecca Judd paid $3000 to store her daughters umbilical cord blood. This is why. Rebecca and Chris Judd have decided to store their newborn daughter Billie Kate’s umbilical cord blood.

2014-02-24T05:17:00.002-08:00

BedJuddbabygirl Rebecca Judd paid $3000 to store her daughters umbilical cord blood. This is why.
Rebecca and Chris Judd have decided to store their newborn daughter Billie Kate’s umbilical cord blood.

Australian model Rebecca Judd and her husband Australian Football League player Chris Judd have decided to store their newborn daughter Billie Kate’s umbilical cord blood.

The reason? They want to be prepared should there ever come a time when stem cells could help their family.

The 31-year-old mother reportedly made the decision to store the blood, as tissue from the umbilical cord contains haematopoietic stem cells (which can be used to treat immune system disorders and generate red blood cells) and mesenchymal stromal cells (which can be grown into bone and cartilage).

Chris Judd has suffered from knee problems in the past – so if either of his children suffer from the same issues, the solution may already be frozen and waiting for them.

After the birth of their first child, Oscar, born in 2011, the Judds chose to store only the cord blood – but this time Rebecca decided they should store the extra tissue.

She told the Herald Sun:

“It made a lot of sense to store both the cord tissue and blood with our new daughter … Of course, you obviously hope to never be in a position to have to use it. But ensuring we stored this important cord tissue and cord blood — when you have only one opportunity at birth — made sense.”

So what motivates a parent to look that far into the future, and think about storing umbilical cord blood and tissue – at the moment of giving birth?

rebecca judd cord blood 3 Rebecca Judd paid $3000 to store her daughters umbilical cord blood. This is why.
Two per cent of Aussie families made the decision to privately store cord blood last year.
While some might find the motivation a bit morbid – in the sense that you are storing the blood for the sole purpose of dealing with the possibility of leukaemia, anaemia and autoimmune diseases in the future – it’s actually quite a sensible idea.

The process is painless, and doesn’t hurt mother or child. After giving birth, an obstetrician will collect blood from the umbilical cord – which will then be transferred to cord blood bank for freezing.

Cell Care, the company which is storing the Judds’ cord blood tissue, has revealed to the Sun Herald that about two per cent of Aussie families made the decision to privately store cord blood last year.

Private cord blood banks mean that the parents have to pay a fee, and the cord is stored for exclusive use by the child (or related family members). There are also public donation banks, where parents can chooser to donate the cord blood which is then available to be used by anyone in Australia who is a suitable genetic match – much like a standard blood bank – which has the potential to save other lives.

Family Cord Blood Price & Accreditation Options

2014-02-24T05:16:00.003-08:00

Family Cord Blood Price & Accreditation Options
The following table summarizes the banks in this country under these columns:
LABORATORY that the bank uses to process the cord blood.
ACCREDITATIONS held by the laboratory
THERAPIES from this lab - A number with NO "*" means the cord blood therapies were for private clients who had a family banking contract. A number with a "*" means the cord blood was listed on a public registry and released to a transplant patient outside the family. Some laboratories provide both types of storage.
COST ( YEAR ONE ) is the initial price of banking with this company.
COST ( YEAR 20 ) is the total price after 20 years of storage.

LISTS OF ACCREDITED BANKS
AABB

FACT

FDA

HTA
NAME LABORATORY ACCREDITATIONS THERAPIES COST (YEAR ONE) COST (YEAR 20)
CORD:USE CORD:USE, Orlando, FL AABB 307* $2145 $4520
VIACORD ViaCord, Hebron, KY AABB 260 $1945 $4320
LIFEBANKUSA LifebankUSA, Cedar Knolls, NJ AABB 35 $2175 $4550
MAZE NY Blood Center, NY, NY AABB, FACT 1 $1990 $1990
STEMCYTE StemCyte, Covina, CA AABB, FACT 1900* $1500 $3875
CRYO-CELL Cryo-Cell, Oldsmar, FL AABB, ISO 61 $1720 $4095
SAFETYCORD Community Blood Services, Montvale, NJ AABB 300* $2100 $4000
GENESIS BANK Cook General BioTechnology, Indianapolis, IN AABB 2 $1275 $3650
FAMILYCORD FamilyCord, Los Angeles, CA AABB 101* + 17 $2120 $4140
MIRACLECORD private lab AABB varies by lab $1595 $2925
CELEBRATION STEM CELL CENTRE Celebration Stem Cell Centre, Gilbert AZ AABB 0 $1975 $4350
NEW ENGLAND CORD BLOOD BANK New England CBB, Newton, MA AABB 12 $1375 $3170
GENECELL GeneCell, Miami, FL none yet 0 $1,795 $3,595
ALPHACORD multiple labs - see table on AlphaCord web site varies by lab varies by lab starts at $890 starts at $2955
AMERICORD REGISTRY Cook General BioTechnology, Indianapolis, IN AABB 2 $1998 $1998
ASSUREIMMUNE AssureImmune, Boca Raton, FL
CARICORD ClinImmune dba CariCord, Aurora, CO AABB ? $2,095 $4,495
CORCELL CorCell (CBAI), Las Vegas, NV AABB 11 $1975 $4350
CORD BLOOD REGISTRY CBR, Tucson, AZ AABB, ISO 9001:2008 204 $1995 $4465
CORD BLOOD SOLUTIONS Community Blood Services, Montvale, NJ
CORE23 BIOBANK Core23 BioBank, Springfield, MI none yet 0 $2300 $5625
FAMILY LINK Kosair Children's Hospital, Louisville, KY
GENECORD Located in Augusta, GA ISO 9001:2008 0 $2595 $2595
LIFEFORCE CRYOBANKS Lifeforce Cryobanks, Altamonte Springs, FL AABB 14* $1399 $3679
LIFELINE CRYOGENICS LifeLine, Stamford, CT AABB 1 $1350 $3535
LIFESOURCE CRYOBANK LifeSource, Covington, LA -- 0 $2300 $4675
NEOSTEM Progenitor Cell Therapy, Allendale, NJ AABB 108* $2225 $4600
NEW HOPE CBB Community Blood Services, Montvale, NJ
NUVACORD NETWORK Community Blood Services, Montvale, NJ AABB 300* $1500 ?
PACIFICORD PacifiCord, Irvine, CA AABB 0 $2300 $5000
SOUTHERN CORD Cook General BioTechnology, Indianapolis, IN AABB 0
STORK MEDICAL Community Blood Services, Montvale, NJ
UTAH CORD BANK Utah Cord Bank, Sandy, UT
XYTEX Xytex, Augusta, GA ISO 9001:2008 0 $1875 $3775

Last Modified: 12/29/2013 – Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation © 2007 - 2014

Family Cord Blood Price & Accreditation Options

2014-02-24T05:16:00.001-08:00

Cord Blood Storage and Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping

2013-06-10T07:27:00.004-07:00

Cord Blood Storage and Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping
by Bouzgarrou HEdi
Many people believe that a choice has to be made between storing your baby’s cord blood and delayed clamping, but that is not the truth. In fact, of the 200mL of blood contained in the umbilical after birth, only 20-40 mL will go into your newborn baby. The benchmark amount of cord blood needed to store your baby’s cord blood is 50mL. There is more than enough cord blood in the umbilical cord after birth to delay cutting the cord and still store this life-saving source of stem cells.

Was your baby’s umbilical cord clamped and cut right after birth? Or did you elect to delay clamping and cutting the umbilical cord? There is growing debate among the medical community surrounding delayed cord clamping and cutting. Childbirth experts in the United Kingdom have gathered together to ask the National Health Service to change its policy on early clamping and cutting.

They believe that it is beneficial to the baby to delay the clamping of the cord to allow more blood to go into the baby’s body. Since about a third of the baby’s blood is still in the cord and placenta at the time of birth, researchers believe that delaying the cutting until the cord stops pulsating naturally can help prevent the baby from developing iron-deficiency anemia.

In the United States, there has not been a clear determination as to whether delaying the clamping and cutting of the cord blood is beneficial at all to the baby. All parties agree, however, that if there is an emergency during birth, such as the cord wrapped around the baby’s neck or the mother is hemorrhaging, then the cord should be cut right away. One thing is for sure, more research needs to be done in the area of delayed cord blood clamping to determine the optimal time to clamp the umbilical cord.

Do you have an opinion on delayed umbilical cord clamping? Did you have your child’s clamping delayed during birth? Share with us in the comments section!

Family Cord Blood Price & Accreditation Options

2013-06-10T07:27:00.001-07:00

Family Cord Blood Price & Accreditation Options
For each company providing family storage of cord blood in this country, we list the LABORATORY that processes the cord blood, the ACCREDITATIONS held by the laboratory, and the number of cord blood collections that the laboratory has released for THERAPIES. The last two columns are the COST ( YEAR ONE ) of banking with this company, and the total COST ( YEAR 20 ) of storage, respectively. The three columns describing the laboratory will be the same for all companies that use the same laboratory, whereas the two cost columns are the unique prices charged by that company in this country.

An additional note about the number of THERAPIES: A number with NO "*" means the cord blood therapies were for private clients who had a family banking contract. A number with a "*" means the cord blood was listed on a public registry and released to a transplant patient outside the family. Some laboratories provide both types of storage.

Isolation of Mononuclear Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood

2013-04-18T01:26:00.001-07:00

1. Isolation of Mononuclear Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood

Prepare EDTA-PBS buffer- add 5 ml bovine serum albumin (BSA) stock solution to 95 ml rinsing buffer (1:20 dilution). Degas the buffer and keep the buffer on ice. IMPORTANT: Failure to degas the buffer may result in less than optimal results when isolating CD19+ B-cells because bubbles may block the isolation column.
Prepare 50 ml conical tubes for density gradient centrifugation. Determine the number of tubes required for processing the cord blood (1 tube can process 8 ml blood) and add 15 ml of Ficoll-Paque PLUS to each tube.
Dilute 8 ml of cord blood with 24 ml DPBS (1X) and carefully layer the diluted cord blood mixture on top of the Ficoll-Paque PLUS in each of the 50 ml conical tubes. Do not mix the blood and Ficoll-Paque PLUS. IMPORTANT: To avoid mixing of the cord blood and Ficoll-Paque PLUS, hold the tube at a 45 degree angle and layer the blood mixture slowly.
Centrifuge at 400 x g for 40 min at 20 °C. Mononuclear cells (MNC) will remain at the plasma-Ficoll-Paque PLUS interface whereas granulocytes and erythrocytes sediment due to higher density at the osmotic pressure of Ficoll-Paque PLUS. Label seven 5 ml round-bottom tubes to be used in Part 3 with the sample ID, date and the following:
Tube Label Purpose
1 Unstained Unstained cells for normalization during flow cytometry
2 7AAD To determine viability during flow cytometry
3 +++ Contains the cells that will be sorted
4 34+ To collect CD34+/CD19+ (late pro-B - early pre-BI) cells
5 45low To collect CD34-/CD19+/CD45low (pre-BI) cells
6 45med To collect CD34-/CD19+/CD45med (pre-BII) cells
7 45high To collect CD34-/CD19+/ CD45high (immature B) cells
Coat tubes 4, 5, 6, and 7 with 2% FBS and place all tubes on ice.

Aspirate the upper plasma layer carefully and avoid contact with the mononuclear cell layer. Using a 10 ml glass pipette, carefully transfer the mononuclear cell layer to a new 50 ml conical tube. Combine the mononuclear cells from three tubes together into a single 50 ml tube.
Fill the tube with PBS, mix gently and centrifuge at 300 x g for 10 min at 20 °C. Carefully aspirate the supernatant without disturbing the cell pellet. Repeat 1x. After the first wash, resuspend the pellets and transfer to a single 50 ml conical tube.
Gently resuspend the cell pellet in 200 μl of PBS. Remove 1 μl of the cell suspension, add it to 1 ml of PBS in a 1.5 ml microcentrifuge tube and set aside for counting (count cells after placing the 50 ml cell suspension in the centrifuge). Fill the tube with PBS and centrifuge at 200 x g for 15 min to remove platelets. Remove the supernatant completely without disturbing the cell pellet.

What are the Benefits of Cord Blood?

2013-02-01T02:08:00.002-08:00

What are the Benefits of Cord Blood?

Your baby’s natural and unique umbilical cord blood is chock full of special blood cells called stem cells. These stem cells have many potential health benefits for your baby and possibly even another family member. Stem cells are the body’s building blocks for important aspects of the body, including the blood, organs, tissues, and immune system. The stem cells are very individualized and unique to your baby. Therefore, by saving the cord blood, which is extracted safely after the baby’s birth, you are salvaging a precious biological resource that can potentially be used to cure certain conditions later on if needed. Umbilical cord blood and the stem cells contained within it have been found to help fight over 80 diseases, including cancer, blood disorders, and immune and genetic diseases. Leukemia, lupus, sickle cell anemia and countless other diseases have been shown to respond favorably to stem cell transplants. Studies are currently under way to show that stem cells may even be beneficial in fighting stroke, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, liver disease, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and HIV. StemCyte is involved in collaborative research using cord blood stem cells. In our research efforts, we are particularly focused on using cord blood stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries by way of tissue regeneration. Your baby’s stem cells are a perfect match for him or her if he or she ever has a need for a stem cell transplant. In addition, the stem cells have a fifty percent chance of being a good match for a sibling of your baby and may even be a match for a parent of the baby. According to some reports, over 3,000 stem cell transplants from cord blood have occurred in the past 20 years, resulting in a cure for about forty to fifty percent of the patients. Stem cells from cord blood are safer than stem cells from bone marrow. Stem cells taken from bone marrow have a very high chance of being infected with a virus, particularly cytomegalovirus. These viruses can cause life-threatening health problems to those patients who receive the bone marrow. Cord blood is much less likely to contain viruses. Also, cord blood does not need to be an exact match like bone marrow does. There is a lower probability of graft versus host disease (GVHD) with cord blood as well. During transplantation, the stem cells within the cord blood help to repair the body’s red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, which are all needed for healthy blood and a strong immune system. The stem cells also work to repair bone, the heart, muscle cells, and nerve cells. They basically provide healthy cells that replace the damaged ones, fighting disease and strengthening the body’s defenses

How Blood Cord Banking Can Offer a Longer and Healthier Life

2013-02-01T02:07:00.008-08:00

How Blood Cord Banking Can Offer a Longer and Healthier Life

Modern medicine has produced many miracles that have prevented and cured diseases, extended life spans and generally made everyone healthier. StemCyte is a company that is dedicated to the betterment of the health of humans through the preservation by its blood cord bank of stem cells. Stem cells are the "master cells" of the human body. Genetically unique, they serve as the building blocks that comprise the various elements of the body, including blood, tissue and individual organs. A particularly rich source of stem cells is the blood in the umbilical cords of newborn babies. Stem cells can actually serve as a human "repair kit" that can be used to tackle many ailments and inherited health conditions. They can be used to treat the person from whom they were obtained and in some cases even family members. Stem cells that are transplanted into a person's bone marrow can transform themselves into red and white blood cells and platelets. They can also be turned into other types of cells, including those that make up bones and heart muscle. Stem cells can in this manner be used to cure or allay more than 80 diseases, including leukemia, immune system deficiencies and such inherited disorders as sickle cell anemia. They may in the future be used in the treatment of spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and a host of other disorders that afflict the human body. The key to the use of stem cells is their proper collection and preservation, which is the specialty of StemCyte. Its streamlined process of saving stem cells has received worldwide recognition for its efficiency. StemCyte has in fact supplied more than 1,700 units of cord blood to nearly 300 hospitals, leading to life-saving transplants at a rate that is four times greater than any other stem cell preservation facility. StemCyte stands out from the others because of its ability to deliver stem cells in the greatest volume that are also of the highest quality. StemCyte will provide those enrolled in its program with a collection kit that is to be taken to the hospital and used on the day the child is born. The kit includes instructions to the healthcare providers as to how the cord blood is to be collected from the umbilical cord after the birth of the child. The entire process is simple and can be completed in less than 10 minutes. After it has been collected in a special container and sealed to prevent contamination, the cord blood will be picked up and taken by StemCyte to the company's laboratory. Once at the facility, the blood will be thoroughly tested and then preserved in liquid nitrogen vapor until the stem cells are needed. StemCyte has for more than 15 years employed a method of storage that is considered to be of the highest reliability. The protection of one's health begins at the moment of birth. This is possible with the collection and storage of stem through using the services of StemCyte. Anyone interested in these services should visit the company's website at www.stemcyte.com.

Tissue and Cord Blood Banking Offers Many Important Medical Benefits

2013-02-01T02:07:00.005-08:00

Tissue and Cord Blood Banking Offers Many Important Medical Benefits

After a child is delivered and the umbilical cord is severed, there is some remaining blood in the placenta vessels and part of the umbilical cord still attached. After birth, a child no longer requires this extra blood source. Cord blood is highly rich in hematopoietic stem cells very similar to those in bone marrow. Therefore, it is a viable alternative to bone marrow for transplantation. With the increased use of cord blood on an experimental basis for various diseases, many people are starting to recognize the benefits of blood cord banking. A number of physicians now recommend newborn blood cord banking to their patients. They realize the potential power of stem cells to help treat life-threatening diseases such as certain cancers including leukemia, and addressing disorders that are immune, blood and metabolic related. An infant's cord blood can be an invaluable medical resource for families with a history of illness. This alone has prompted many parents to make the decision to bank with a trusted provider such as StemCyte. Unlike several other forms of stem cell harvesting, removing stem cells from an infant's umbilical cord doesn't harm or destroy the embryo. Also, a stem cell transplant from cord blood doesn't require an exact match in the way a bone marrow transplant does. A large benefit to using a private bank is that the cord blood is reserved exclusively for each family. We at StemCyte offer an industry-leading guarantee that stem cells will engraft upon transplantation or all service fees are fully refunded. Many parents may have never considered the process of collecting and preserving their newborn's cord tissue and blood. Once they realize how easy the process is and the potential benefits involved, the more inclined they are to do so. There is no risk or pain to both the child and mother throughout the collection process. This is because the blood is removed from the cord after being clamped and cut. Cord blood and tissue removal is safe for both conventional and cesarean deliveries. Our clients frequently tell us that the decision to use our services is highly rewarding. StemCyte extends a number of discounts to both prospective and returning clients. We are a full-service blood cord banking provider that offers a complete package including collection kit, processing, shipping and storage. Our interest-free and convenient payment plans make cord blood banking affordable. In fact, we feel we have the most affordable storage solutions available while maintaining the highest level of standards for our clients. The use of cord blood as an alternative source to collect stem cells is allowing growing numbers of patients to move forward with transplantation successfully. Annually, there are thousands of individuals diagnosed with diseases requiring a blood stem transplant. Finding a sufficient unrelated donor while battling time restraints due to disease progression can be difficult. For this reason, cord blood banking is proving to be a viable method of getting a stem cell transplant quickly. StemCyte delivers exceptional quality along with superior value and customer service.

Banking Cord Blood with Stemcyte

2013-02-01T02:07:00.002-08:00

Banking Cord Blood with Stemcyte

Over the past 20 years, research has proven that stem cells, the building blocks of every type of cell in the human body, are a valuable resource when it comes to treating illnesses and diseases caused by both genetics and defects of birth. However, stem cells can only be obtained in a few ways. The safest and most ethical way to obtain stem cells is from the blood located in the umbilical cord which connects a baby to its mother's placenta. The blood in the umbilical cord is rich with stem cells which share the child's unique DNA sequence. For this reason, the stem cells in umbilical cord blood are an invaluable resource to doctors if a child ever needs to be treated for a serious disease. Stemcyte understands the importance of collecting and safely storing umbilical cord blood, and as such, has built their business around assuring healthy, safe futures for new babies through umbilical cord blood collection. What Needs to be Done in Order to Collect and Store Umbilical Cord Blood Through Stemcyte? The first step for expecting parents who wish to bank umbilical cord blood through Stemcyte is to contact Stemcyte for more information about the procedure as well as a cord blood collection kit. This can help parents financially plan for banking their baby's cord blood before the baby is delivered. Stemcyte will inform the medical provider chosen by the parents of their decision to bank cord blood through the company. The parents must bring the cord blood collection kit with them to the hospital when the baby is delivered. Cord blood can be collected from the umbilical cord and placenta both internally and externally. Regardless of how the procedure is performed, it is quick, painless and will not interfere with post-birth health. Once umbilical cord blood is collected, it is shipped to a safe Stemcyte facility in order to be analyzed and stored for any potential future uses. What are the Potential Benefits of Banking Cord Blood? Because stem cells are the building blocks for all other types of human cells, there are a wide range of diseases and health issues that can be treated with the use of stem cells. By banking cord blood cells, a child is assured to have stem cells available which have an exact DNA match, increasing the effectiveness of treatment. Stem cells have been shown to effectively treat acute and chronic leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative disorders, lymphoproliferative disorders, phagocyte disorders, inherited metabolic disorders, histiocystic disorders, inherited erythrocyte abnormalities, inherited immune system disorders, inherited platelet abnormalities, plasma cell disorders, other malignancies and other inherited disorders. Why Choose Stemcyte? Stemcyte is an accredited facility which is licensed to practice in all 50 states. Since 1997, we have worked both nationally and internationally to provide lifesaving blood transfusions and cord blood storage for parents. Our licenses and accreditation go well above and beyond the national standard. Our processing method has been carefully analyzed and perfected over years of use, and our collection kit is of superior quality, ensuring the safety and security of your most precious resource.

Cord Blood Bank Settles

2013-02-01T02:06:00.002-08:00

Cord Blood Bank Settles FTC Charges that it Failed to Protect Consumers’ Sensitive Personal Information
Security Breach Allegedly Exposed Nearly 300,000 Consumers’ Information
The operator of a leading cord blood bank, Cbr Systems, Inc., agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it failed to protect the security of customers’ personal information, and that its inadequate security practices contributed to a breach that exposed Social Security numbers and credit and debit card numbers of nearly 300,000 consumers.

The settlement is part of the FTC’s ongoing efforts to protect the security and confidentiality of consumers’ sensitive health and financial information. It requires Cbr to establish and maintain a comprehensive information security program and submit to security audits by independent auditors every other year for 20 years. The settlement also bars Cbr from misrepresenting its privacy and security practices.

“The FTC can and will take action to make sure that companies live up to the privacy promises they make to consumers, particularly when it comes to highly sensitive information like the health information collected by Cbr,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. “The exposure of this information has the potential to cause real harm to consumers.”

Cbr Systems is a leading provider of umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord tissue banking services. Consumers pay to preserve and store a newborn’s cord blood and cord tissue because they contain stem cells, the use of which researchers are investigating to treat some diseases and conditions.

In its privacy policy, Cbr claimed that “[w]henever CBR handles personal information, regardless of where this occurs, CBR takes steps to ensure that your information is treated securely and in accordance with the relevant Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy. . . . ”

However, according to the FTC, Cbr failed to use reasonable and appropriate procedures for handling customers’ personal information, making its privacy policy claim deceptive under the FTC Act. According to the complaint, Cbr did not have reasonable policies and procedures to protect the security of information it collected and maintained. In addition, Cbr allegedly created unnecessary risks to personal information by, among other things, transporting backup tapes, a thumb drive, and other portable data storage devices containing personal information in a way that made the information vulnerable to theft. According to the FTC, Cbr also failed to take sufficient measures to prevent, detect, and investigate unauthorized access to computer networks.

The FTC charged that Cbr’s failures to provide reasonable and appropriate security for consumers’ personal information contributed to a December 2010 security breach during which unencrypted backup tapes containing consumers’ personal information, a Cbr laptop, a Cbr external hard drive, and a Cbr USB drive were stolen from a Cbr’s employee’s personal vehicle in San Francisco, California. According to the complaint, the unencrypted backup tapes included, in some cases, the names, gender, Social Security numbers, dates and times of birth, drivers’ license numbers, credit and debit card numbers, card expiration dates, checking account numbers, addresses, email addresses, telephone number and adoption type (e.g., open, closed, or surrogate) of approximately 298,000 Cbr customers.

The FTC complaint also alleges that the unencrypted Cbr laptop and unencrypted Cbr external hard drive contained network information, including passwords and protocols, that could have permitted an intruder to access Cbr’s network, where sensitive personal health information was stored.

Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business, and other FTC resources provide practical tips to help businesses keep the data they collect secure. Consumers who believe their personal information may have been compromised by a data breach should read Signs of Identity Theft and watch the FTC’s video “What is Identity Theft?” Consumers can also check their free credit report for accuracy.

The Commission vote to accept the consent agreement package containing the proposed consent order for public comment was 5-0. The FTC will publish a description of the consent agreement package in the Federal Register shortly. The agreement will be subject to public comment for 30 days, beginning today and continuing through February 28, 2013, after which the Commission will decide whether to make the proposed consent order final. Interested parties can submit comments electronically or in paper form by following the instructions in the “Invitation To Comment” part of the “Supplementary Information” section. Comments in paper form should be mailed or delivered to: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Room H-113 (Annex D), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC is requesting that any comment filed in paper form near the end of the public comment period be sent by courier or overnight service, if possible, because U.S. postal mail in the Washington area and at the Commission is subject to delay due to heightened security precautions.

NOTE: The Commission issues an administrative complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the respondent has actually violated the law. A consent order is for settlement purposes only and does not constitute an admission by the respondent that the law has been violated. When the Commission issues a consent order on a final basis, it carries the force of law with respect to future actions. Each violation of such an order may result in a civil penalty of up to $16,000.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC's online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

Umbilical cord stem cells provide life-saving treatment for children

2012-12-19T00:09:00.002-08:00

Umbilical cord stem cells provide life-saving treatment for children
(ARA) - When expectant parents imagine their children's future, chances are that a rare genetic disorder is not part of that picture. But that was the reality for Andres and Paulina Trevino of Boston. At 2 years old, their son, Andy, was diagnosed with a life-threatening immune disorder. By the age of 5, Andy had been in the hospital for 1,000 days and saw more than 300 doctors to help treat his disease. However, thanks to a treatment Andy received from his sister Sofia's umbilical cord blood stem cells, he is now thriving and healthier than ever. Inspired by his own son's medical journey, Andres penned a book entitled, "Andy & Sofia," documenting his family's personal story with this live-saving treatment.

Emerging scientific research on cord blood stem cells shows promise in filling treatment gaps for many children, like Andy, who face certain life-threatening conditions. Cord blood is a rich source of stem cells, which can become a treatment by repairing and/or replacing damaged cells in the body.

"Studies are finding new medical benefits of these stem cells every day and providing peace of mind to many families who choose to bank their children's cord blood stem cells," says Morey Kraus, chief scientific officer of ViaCord, a private family cord blood bank.

Several private cord blood banks collect and store the stem cells should a child ever need it. The collection is painless for the mother and baby and takes place immediately after birth. An obstetrician or midwife clamps the cord, then through the use of a blood-bag needle, the blood flows into a bag during a two- to four-minute process. After collection, the blood bag is sealed and couriered to a processing facility, where it is stored at a low temperature for preservation.

To date, cord blood stem cells have been used to treat nearly 80 life-threatening diseases, including cancers and leukemia, bone marrow failures, sickle-cell anemia and other genetic and blood disorders. Medical researchers are also exploring its uses for Type-1 diabetes, heart disease, sports injuries and other common, yet incurable conditions. These stem cells are showing more benefits than ever and parents are opting to bank their children's cord blood for its growing potential.

By storing one's cord blood stem cells privately, the individual is guaranteed a match should he or she ever needs a cord blood transplant. For expectant parents interested in storing the stem cells, there are options to bank publicly or privately. Private cord blood banks store the stem cells for the families' own use, while public banks make the stem cells available to any transplant patient who is a donor match.

Family history can also be an important factor to consider when families decide to bank. Certain genetic profiles can make children susceptible to diseases that can be treated with cord blood stem cells. For example, parents carrying the sickle cell trait may have a child who has the disorder and a simple cord blood transfusion can replace the sickled blood cells.

Clinical studies also show that cord blood stem-cell transplants are nearly twice as successful when the stem cells come from a family member rather than from a public donor. For families with a child already facing one of the treatable diseases, ViaCord offers The Sibling Connection Program to provide access to stem cells for treatment. The program collects and stores the child's stem cells at no charge for families who meet the program's eligibility requirements and they can be used for a sibling needing a stem-cell transplant or transfusion.

Cord Blood - Life Saving Out of the Womb

2012-12-19T00:08:00.006-08:00

Cord Blood - Life Saving Out of the Womb
So where will you get the stem cells, if God forbid, you are ever in such a situation? Well you can make do with the bone marrow of a family member, if the cells match. ""Umbilical cord blood from newborn babies can be used to produce embryonic-like cells that can potentially treat diseases and debilitating conditions. While not all states have public cord banks, you can ask your hospital whether it accepts cord blood donations for research purposes. There is also another option given by non-profit cord blood banks, of free programs through which one can store umbilical cord blood stem cell samples.

One more cord blood donation might just be enough to save another life. There are certain risks involved in this procedure, however they are minimal. Instead, the stem cells can also be collected from the embryonic and fetal source. ""With every passing day, the science behind the utility of umbilical cord blood is going a step forward.

More information about umbilical cord | Weighing the Pros and Cons of Banking Umbilical Cord Blood and cord blood banking | Storing Your Baby's Umbilical Cord Blood - How Much Does It Cost? url

Similarly, there are individuals who are suffering from cancerous diseases and are constantly searching for stem cell donors, so your baby's cord blood could be donated to them. Collection and storage charges of private banks can be very high and out of reach of many folks. If you can afford to harvest and store your newborns cord blood by all means does so. Thus, it is reasonable to seek alternative sources or an equivalent of stem cells.

More information about umbilical cord blood | Is Storing Cord Blood Worth the Cost? and cord blood banking | Information About Percutaneous Umbilical Cord Blood cord blood

A number of cord blood stem cell therapies are available that can treat 80 different diseases. An unusual container carries the cord blood to the cord blood cache. Before delivery the parents can deposit Rs. It was no less than a miracle that soon the lady became an expectant mother and after nine months delivered a healthy baby girl.

Several facilities offer ""family discounts"" and ""referral fees"" for referring your friends and family to the facility, but in general these benefits only go to offset future annual fees, or to lock in the current prices, not to lower the cost you will have to pay upfront. Flex blood caching is an anodyne and ethical trace of stem groups. But, now private banks are looking forward to expand donated cord blood stem cell, received from twin pregnancies and make use of these in future transplants. All these diseases require radiation therapy or chemotherapy to kill the destructive cells in the body.

CordLife India Launches Advanced Cord Blood Facility to Become the Largest Blood Bank in India

2012-12-19T00:08:00.003-08:00

CordLife India Launches Advanced Cord Blood Facility to Become the Largest Blood Bank in India

CordLife India, the largest cord blood bank in India has launched new cord blood bank facility. The Advanced Cord Blood Facility with Quality Assurance from CordLife is a facility which stores umbilical cord blood for future use.

The collection, processing and storage of cord blood banking include immediately clamping and cutting the cord after the delivery of a baby. The caregiver then collects the umbilical cord blood by inserting a needle into the cord vein, and drains the same into a blood bag.

Since their inception, CordLife India has established a quality system and proven track record and has emerged as a reliable cord blood banking services provider. Their capability was recognized when their facility in Singapore became the first private cord blood bank in Southeast Asia to be accredited by AABB, the world's gold standard in private cord blood banking.

The winning expertise from Singapore was transferred to other CordLife facilities in Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong and now to India. Now, it has attained accreditation and certifications from various organizations and regulators that set standard for efficiency and quality in cord blood banking around the world.

CordLife prides on stringent standards and guarantee that baby's cord blood stem cell unit will be screened, processed and stored according to the strictest international quality assurance program. Transplant physicians are more likely to accept an internationally accredited cord blood unit, compared to a unit which is not.

About CordLife India
CordLife India is the largest and most advanced cord blood bank facility in the country, with a storage capacity of up to 150,000 cord blood units. The state-of-the-art laboratory with full processing, testing and cryopreservation capabilities is equipped with continuous power back-up as well as the most-up-to-date security and surveillance systems. Located in Kolkata and officially launched by Singapore Senior Minister and former Prime Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong, CordLife India is licensed by the Drug Controller General of India to collect cord blood units from all Indian states and cities.

CordLife India Launches Advanced Cord Blood Facility to Become the Largest Blood Bank in India

2012-12-19T00:08:00.001-08:00

Storing Umbilical Cord Blood: A Simple and Easy Process When you first get pregnant, you will receive all types of brochures and pamphlets from your doctor's office. These documents will range from diapers to creating a college saving fund for your unborn child. But, one of the more important items is the information on umbilical cord blood. This blood is rich with stem cells. Now, you may heard and read about stem cells. The cells are amazing in what they can do and what they can cure. Our company finds the job of storing stem cells a wonderful job and we take it very seriously to make sure nothing goes wrong. So, why would you want to store your baby's umbilical cord blood? Can the blood really do anything different than the blood that is in your body? The answer to those questions are yes, the blood in the umbilical cord can do so much more than the blood that is in your body. This blood is known to cure supposed incurable diseases all because certain families had made the smart decision to stored the blood after their child was born. So, by making the decision to store your child's umbilical cord blood today you could be saving their life if they ever get really sick. The process is real quick and easy – and will not take away from the bonding time between you and your baby. Basically, you must sign up on our web site prior to giving birth because there is a collection bag you will need to bring with you when you go to the hospital to give birth. Be sure that your doctor and the hospital is aware of your plans so that they will know what they need to do and have available prior to your arrival. After you have delivered your baby, your doctor will remove the umbilical cord and the placenta from you and your child. The doctor will then follow the detailed instructions on the collection bag to store the umbilical cord blood. This usually takes about five to ten minutes long. The blood will be stored securely at the hospital until it is picked up and brought to us. This is usually occurs within 48 hours of you giving birth. After we receive the cord blood, we will test it for it viability and to determine the cell count. These tests help us determine that the blood will be successful if there ever is a need to a transplant. Remember, the blood can be transplanted in other family members too and these tests will reveal if that would be successful. Once the tests are done, the blood is then frozen and then place in one of our machines. Our company is committed to helping families learn and store their baby's umbilical cord blood. Our procedure is very quick and easy and can help you keep peace of mind that you hold something that can cure some of nature's most incurable diseases. So, sign up today and your family can join the hundreds of other families that store their baby's umbilical cord blood.

2012-12-10T01:02:00.002-08:00

Storing Umbilical Cord Blood: A Simple and Easy Process
When you first get pregnant, you will receive all types of brochures and pamphlets from your doctor's office. These documents will range from diapers to creating a college saving fund for your unborn child. But, one of the more important items is the information on umbilical cord blood. This blood is rich with stem cells. Now, you may heard and read about stem cells. The cells are amazing in what they can do and what they can cure. Our company finds the job of storing stem cells a wonderful job and we take it very seriously to make sure nothing goes wrong. So, why would you want to store your baby's umbilical cord blood? Can the blood really do anything different than the blood that is in your body? The answer to those questions are yes, the blood in the umbilical cord can do so much more than the blood that is in your body. This blood is known to cure supposed incurable diseases all because certain families had made the smart decision to stored the blood after their child was born. So, by making the decision to store your child's umbilical cord blood today you could be saving their life if they ever get really sick. The process is real quick and easy – and will not take away from the bonding time between you and your baby. Basically, you must sign up on our web site prior to giving birth because there is a collection bag you will need to bring with you when you go to the hospital to give birth. Be sure that your doctor and the hospital is aware of your plans so that they will know what they need to do and have available prior to your arrival. After you have delivered your baby, your doctor will remove the umbilical cord and the placenta from you and your child. The doctor will then follow the detailed instructions on the collection bag to store the umbilical cord blood. This usually takes about five to ten minutes long. The blood will be stored securely at the hospital until it is picked up and brought to us. This is usually occurs within 48 hours of you giving birth. After we receive the cord blood, we will test it for it viability and to determine the cell count. These tests help us determine that the blood will be successful if there ever is a need to a transplant. Remember, the blood can be transplanted in other family members too and these tests will reveal if that would be successful. Once the tests are done, the blood is then frozen and then place in one of our machines. Our company is committed to helping families learn and store their baby's umbilical cord blood. Our procedure is very quick and easy and can help you keep peace of mind that you hold something that can cure some of nature's most incurable diseases. So, sign up today and your family can join the hundreds of other families that store their baby's umbilical cord blood.

About Cord-Blood Banking

2012-12-10T01:01:00.001-08:00

About Cord-Blood Banking
Cord-blood banking basically means collecting and storing the blood from within the umbilical cord (the part of the placenta that delivers nutrients to a fetus) after a baby is born.

Cord blood contains blood-forming stem cells, which are potentially useful for treating diseases that require stem cell transplants (also called bone marrow transplants), such as certain kinds of leukemia or lymphoma, aplastic anemia, severe sickle cell disease, and severe combined immunodeficiency.

There are two types of banks that store cord blood:

Public banks collect donated cord blood for research or for use by anyone who may need it. There is usually no charge associated with this service. After birth, blood is collected, anonymously marked, and sent to a public bank to potentially save the life of another child one day.

If you choose this option and your child or a family member later develops a disease that requires a stem cell transplant for treatment, you won't be able to obtain the donation you made to the bank.
Private banks store cord blood for personal use by the family. There is a fee associated with this service. People who have a family history of disease that can be treated with stem cell transplants sometimes consider this option.

Less commonly, people choose to privately bank their newborn's cord blood on the off chance that someday their child or a sick family member could be treated with it. This practice isn't recommended, however, since the costs associated with it are high and the chances of a family member ever using the cord blood are slim.
Like community or hospital blood banks, cord-blood banks are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has developed standards regulating future cord-blood collection and storage.

Silva Lab Isolates Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood

2012-11-22T05:26:00.005-08:00

Silva Lab Isolates Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood

There was nothing unusual about the birth of a baby girl in Sacramento one Friday afternoon late in October, 2012. This birth was special, however, because just a few hours later both Priscilla Williams (BME & DEB graduate student) and Eduardo Silva (BME & DEB Assistant Professor) were busy isolating stem cells from the baby’s umbilical cord blood. The Silva Lab is one of the first recipients of cord blood from the recently established Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program.

The Silva Lab’s current project will isolate vascular progenitor cells from the cord blood with the premise that they can investigate and develop new strategies to actively direct their homing in vivo. In the near future, Silva’s group will isolate not only vascular progenitor cells but also other progenitor and stem cell populations. For example, in the next couple of months the Silva Lab and Scott Simon’s Lab will collaborate to develop strategies to isolate hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and HSC-containing Lin−Sca-1+c-Kit+ (LSK) from cord blood.

“The ability to isolate and store stem cells within the Biomedical Engineering Department offers not only many new research opportunities for the Silva Lab but also for all the biomedical engineering community,” said Prof. Silva.

The Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program (UCBCP), administered by the UC Davis Health System, is a new statewide public program designed to capture the genetic diversity of Californians through collection of cord blood units (CBUs) for unrelated transplantation. The stem cells in cord blood have been used to treat and cure patients who have various diseases such as blood disorders, cancers such as leukemia, and some immune system disorders. The research done with stem cells can be vital to figuring out the cures and/or treatments for even more diseases.

Upstate breaks ground for umbilical cord blood bank

2012-11-22T05:26:00.002-08:00

Upstate breaks ground for umbilical cord blood bank

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Upstate Medical University will begin construction on a $15 million Upstate Cord Blood Bank that will collect, process and store umbilical cord blood donated by families throughout Central and northern New York to be used by those in need of life-saving medical treatments and for medical research. State Sen. John DeFrancisco played a key role in securing the $15 million funding for the building, enabling Syracuse to have one of the only two public cord blood banks in New York.

Umbilical cord blood is blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord after childbirth. It is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells that have the potential of being used in the treatment of dozens of diseases, like cancer and sickle cell.

Upstate President David R. Smith, M.D., heralded the addition of a public cord blood bank in Upstate New York. “The opportunity to bring a public cord blood bank to Upstate New York is significant in so many ways,” he said. “Through the donations of cord blood from families all across our region, we have the ability to save lives through transplantation and further fuel biomedical research that may move us closer to finding breakthroughs for dozens of diseases. Being able to develop this cord blood bank and make it a resource for our greater community, speaks to the very core of the mission of Upstate Medical University.”

The two-story building will be between 10,000 and 15,000 square feet and be located on Upstate’s Community Campus at 4900 Broad Road, Syracuse. Upstate provides obstetric services on the Community Campus, and also is home to the Regional Perinatal Center, which offers advance perinatal care to patients throughout Upstate New York.

The building’s design and construction work and equipment is made possible by a $15 million state grant obtained by DeFrancisco.

“Syracuse now will have one of only 27 public umbilical cord blood banks in the country,” DeFranciso said. “It is an exciting opportunity for Central New York to lead our state by building a facility that can save the lives of children, like Jared Saya and Luca Vassallo. (Saya and Vassallo are area residents who received treatments with umbilical cord blood.)

“Across the country, cord blood stem cells have been used in treating many illnesses including leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, lymphomas, inherited red cell abnormalities and other cancers. Now, doctors in Upstate New York will be able to use the umbilical cord, and its stem cells—that would otherwise be discarded as medical waste—for valuable life-saving treatments and research,” DeFrancisco said.

The state Health Department will develop a program to make expectant mothers and the public more aware of umbilical cord blood banking.

“We appreciate the leadership and vision of Sen. DeFrancisco, who has helped efforts to publicize the benefits of cord blood donation and making the Cord Blood Bank a reality for Central New York,” Smith said.

Designation as a public cord blood bank

The designation of Upstate Cord Blood Bank as a public blood bank is important in that there is no cost to donate and donated cord blood is available to anyone who needs it.

Once donated, the cord blood will be stored in the bank and made available to transplant centers in the United States and throughout the world for patients needing life-saving transplants. The cord blood units will be listed on the Be The Match registry, which maintains a large listing of cord blood units available for transplant. Those units that are not suitable for transplantation will be made available to researchers, both at Upstate Medical University and around the country.

Unlike a public cord blood bank, private banks are for-profit organizations that charge fees to collect, process and store a baby’s umbilical cord blood for the exclusive use for the families who made the donation. Public cord blood banks do not charge fees and make stem cells available for anyone who needs them.

When the Upstate Cord Blood Bank opens, it will be one of only two public cord blood banks in New York. The other is the National Cord Blood Program in Long Island City, N.Y.

The Upstate Cord Blood Bank will operate under strict guidelines and protocols, established by state and federal health organizations, including the state Health Department, the Food and Drug Administration and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy.

Upstate will work with hospitals in the Upstate region to develop guidelines and agreements to enable mothers who deliver in this area the ability to donate their cord blood for free. Cord blood that is not donated is discarded as medical waste.

Upstate officials hope the cord blood bank will receive donations from 10,000 births a year. That would represent 50 percent of the approximately 20,000 births in Central New York annually. The Upstate Cord Blood Bank will begin accepting donations once it opens in the fall of 2014.

How is cord blood donated

Once a mother has delivered her baby and after the umbilical cord is cut and clamped, a medical provider will insert a syringe into the umbilical vein that is still attached to the placenta. The process, which takes less than 15 minutes, yields about 3 to 5 ounces of cord blood, which is then sent to a cord blood bank for processing and storage.

Treatments with cord blood

Stem cell transplants from umbilical cord blood, researchers say, may be more suitable for transplants than the more common stem cells taken from bone marrow as treatment for various cancers. Umbilical cord blood has an underdeveloped immune cell system providing less of a chance that the transplanted cells will attack the recipient’s immune system.

Hematopoietic stem cells are capable of forming all different types of blood forming cells in the human body. They are used to treat some cancers, metabolic disorders and immunodeficiency diseases, such as sickle cell anemia. Cord blood is rich in these hematopoietic stem cells.

Research with cord blood

Umbilical cord blood stem cells are valuable to medical research, especially in studies seeking to advance new treatments for cancer. Nearly a dozen Upstate researchers are using stem cells from umbilical cord blood in their research or have expressed an interest in working with them. An available supply of cord blood would enhance and expedite research studies on finding new treatments for various diseases.

Upstate Cord Blood Bank credits: Architect: Francis Cauffman. Engineer: CRB Engineers. Construction Manager: The Pike Company. Project consultants: Nicholas Greco, Ph.D, of the National Center for Regenerative Medicine at Case Western Reserve University; and Karen Snyder, M.Ed, from KLS Consulting & Project Management.