Umbilical Cord Blood Banking

Making the choice that could save your baby's life!

STEM SCIENCES INC.

Until recently, the umbilical cord, along with the blood that remained in it after a baby was born, was simply discarded by the hospital as medical waste. Since the late 1980's, extensive medical research has shown that cord blood possesses unique properties that makes it useful in the treatment of patients with certain cancers and other life threatening illnesses. While the actual process of collecting cord blood is straightforward, many parents are not even aware that this option now exists, much less familiar with all the issues involved.

Umbilical cord blood has an abundant supply of stem cells, the same cells that are harvested from bone marrow when a person needs a bone marrow transplant. These stem cells are the master cells of our blood and immune systems and have the ability to reproduce new blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Stem cells can be used to treat many life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma and anemia. Research into using stem cells in the treatment of conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV, and in other novel therapeutic procedures is also underway. A major focus of research is to better understand stem cell plasticity, I.e. the ability of stem cells to transform into cells other than blood components such as liver, muscle, skin, heart muscle, and neural cells. It is this cellular plasticity that has the greatest potential of making cord blood banking an absolutely 'must do' aspect of the birthing process. The stem cells are a perfect match for the newborn, and there is also a good chance of them being a useful match for other members of the family.

Cord blood collection is a painless and risk free procedure requiring only a few minutes of your doctor/midwife's time following the birth of your child. There is a fifteen minute window immediately after a baby is born to collect the cord blood - a truly once in a lifetime opportunity! Once the cord blood has been collected, identified and packaged, it is transported to Stem Sciences Inc.'s dedicated stem cell cryopreservation facility in North York, Toronto, where it is processed and BioArchived in liquid nitrogen for future family use.

CANADIAN EXPERIENCE

Two instances of cord bloods stem cells saving lives illustrate the potential benefits of banking cord blood.

1. Jesse Farquharson was the first patient in Canada to undergo stem cell treatment with stem cells extracted from his own umbilical cord blood. Jesse was four months old when he was diagnoxed with bilateral retinoblastoma, or malignant tumors in borth eyes, a usually fatal condition when the cancer spreads. However, although the cancer spread, he was given extensive chemotherapy to arrest the cancer. The cord blood stem cells that had been banked at the time of his birth helped restore his bone marrow which had been depleted by the bouts of chemotherapy. Doctors stressed that thanks to the cord blood transplant his blood stem cells were a perfect match and thus the trouble associated with finding a donor and need for anti-rejection medication were eliminated. [The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, March 2001]

2. In what might be a world first, doctors at Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal transfused a woman suffering from leukemia with the umbilical-cord blood of her first daughter. Seven months later, 27-year-old Patrizia Durante was in complete remission and credited her daughter with saving her life. "I gave my daughter life, and then she gave mine back," Ms. Durante said yesterday, cradling 13-month-old Victoria. "It's a miracle. She was meant to be born to save me." Umbilical cord blood is usually banked for later use by the child should it develop a life-threatening illness such as leukemia. [By Aaron Derfel, National Post, October 26, 2002]

STEM SCIENCES INC.'S BIOARCHIVE® TECHNOLOGY

The BioArchive® Stem Cell System is a computer controlled liquid nitrogen robotic system to automatically manage cord blood. The system protects the cells by carefully controlling their rate of freezing, before placing them in liquid nitrogen for long term storage. The entire process of freezing, storing and retrieval is carried out without ever opening the tank. This superior technology provides unparalleled sample security essential for the long term storage of precious stem cells. When required, the robotic assembly initially validates the identity of the specimen before removing only that specimen and transferring it to the retrieval module for delivery to any medical facility worldwide.

CORD BLOOD PROCESSING

The BioArchive® system uses a unique multi-compartment freezing bag that has been specifically designed to ensure maximal cell recovery. The major compartment (80%) is for transplant purposes, whilst the smaller compartment (20%) may be used for alternate cell based therapies or for cell expansion. [Cell expansion would allow stem cells to replicate in an artificial system. Increased numbers of cells could allow for multiple uses in multiple individuals]. Additionally three smaller segments of tubing with a 1/4 ml of cell suspension are also stored to allow for future testing. All processing is done in a closed system to ensure sterility of the cord blood. For additional safety, the cryobag is sheathed in Teflon before being placed in a stainless steel canister. This unique multi-compartment storage system makes the BioArchive® technology truly future friendly!

Some older Canadian cord blood banks process and store the cord blood in a few small cryovials (little plastic tubes). Cryovials carry a number of risks including, possible contamination from sample to sample because vials are not hermetically sealed, explosion hazards at thawing time associated with entry of liquid nitrogen into the vials through the cap gap [liquid nitrogen will expand up to 700 times its volume when warmed]. Additionally, since cord blood from many patients is stored collectively in racks or boxes, the removal of a rack of specimens from the storage chamber in order to retrieve on of the specimens, will cause all of the removed specimens to become warmed. Such inadvertent warming can occur many times over the years of storage in an openable nitrogen tanks, causing the cells to deteriorate. With the BioArchive® there is minimal risk of inadvertent warming and a permanent record of the movement of the sample from room temperature to -196 ˚C is kept.

HOW LONG CAN CORD BLOOD BE STORED FOR?

There is no evidence at present that cord blood stem cells stored in liquid nitrogen (-196 ˚C) in an undisturbed manner lose their biological activity. Therefore, at the current time, no expiration dates are assigned to cord blood stored continuously under liquid nitrogen. Initial scientific evidence already indicates that after fifteen years of storage, there is no significant deterioration of the cells. In time, as older samples are used, these numbers will change.

DECISIONS

It is every parents desire to do the best they can to ensure that their child has a healthy life. Most children do reach adulthood with few problems. However, in a small number of cases, conditions such as leukemia, lymphoma etc. may have catastrophic consequences. Bone marrow stem cells may be required in the treatment of these conditions. Finding a matching bone marrow donor can be very costly, difficult and in some cases even impossible. Several thousand patients die each year in North America because they are unable to find a suitable donor. If parent's feel that they might look back and regret not having saved their baby's stem cells or feel that they could take advantage of emerging new therapeutic approaches utilizing stem cells, then they should certainly consider banking their baby's cord blood. Before selecting a cord blood bank, take a moment to understand the technology they use and what is the most up to date system for safely and securely banking your baby's precious stem cells.


	Umbilical Cord Blood Banking
Home Contact Disclaimer Site Map		Making the choice that could save your baby's life! STEM SCIENCES INC. Until recently, the umbilical cord, along with the blood that remained in it after a baby was born, was simply discarded by the hospital as medical waste. Since the late 1980's, extensive medical research has shown that cord blood possesses unique properties that makes it useful in the treatment of patients with certain cancers and other life threatening illnesses. While the actual process of collecting cord blood is straightforward, many parents are not even aware that this option now exists, much less familiar with all the issues involved. Umbilical cord blood has an abundant supply of stem cells, the same cells that are harvested from bone marrow when a person needs a bone marrow transplant. These stem cells are the master cells of our blood and immune systems and have the ability to reproduce new blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Stem cells can be used to treat many life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma and anemia. Research into using stem cells in the treatment of conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV, and in other novel therapeutic procedures is also underway. A major focus of research is to better understand stem cell plasticity, I.e. the ability of stem cells to transform into cells other than blood components such as liver, muscle, skin, heart muscle, and neural cells. It is this cellular plasticity that has the greatest potential of making cord blood banking an absolutely 'must do' aspect of the birthing process. The stem cells are a perfect match for the newborn, and there is also a good chance of them being a useful match for other members of the family. Cord blood collection is a painless and risk free procedure requiring only a few minutes of your doctor/midwife's time following the birth of your child. There is a fifteen minute window immediately after a baby is born to collect the cord blood - a truly once in a lifetime opportunity! Once the cord blood has been collected, identified and packaged, it is transported to Stem Sciences Inc.'s dedicated stem cell cryopreservation facility in North York, Toronto, where it is processed and BioArchived in liquid nitrogen for future family use. CANADIAN EXPERIENCE Two instances of cord bloods stem cells saving lives illustrate the potential benefits of banking cord blood. 1. Jesse Farquharson was the first patient in Canada to undergo stem cell treatment with stem cells extracted from his own umbilical cord blood. Jesse was four months old when he was diagnoxed with bilateral retinoblastoma, or malignant tumors in borth eyes, a usually fatal condition when the cancer spreads. However, although the cancer spread, he was given extensive chemotherapy to arrest the cancer. The cord blood stem cells that had been banked at the time of his birth helped restore his bone marrow which had been depleted by the bouts of chemotherapy. Doctors stressed that thanks to the cord blood transplant his blood stem cells were a perfect match and thus the trouble associated with finding a donor and need for anti-rejection medication were eliminated. [The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, March 2001] 2. In what might be a world first, doctors at Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal transfused a woman suffering from leukemia with the umbilical-cord blood of her first daughter. Seven months later, 27-year-old Patrizia Durante was in complete remission and credited her daughter with saving her life. "I gave my daughter life, and then she gave mine back," Ms. Durante said yesterday, cradling 13-month-old Victoria. "It's a miracle. She was meant to be born to save me." Umbilical cord blood is usually banked for later use by the child should it develop a life-threatening illness such as leukemia. [By Aaron Derfel, National Post, October 26, 2002] STEM SCIENCES INC.'S BIOARCHIVE® TECHNOLOGY The BioArchive® Stem Cell System is a computer controlled liquid nitrogen robotic system to automatically manage cord blood. The system protects the cells by carefully controlling their rate of freezing, before placing them in liquid nitrogen for long term storage. The entire process of freezing, storing and retrieval is carried out without ever opening the tank. This superior technology provides unparalleled sample security essential for the long term storage of precious stem cells. When required, the robotic assembly initially validates the identity of the specimen before removing only that specimen and transferring it to the retrieval module for delivery to any medical facility worldwide. CORD BLOOD PROCESSING The BioArchive® system uses a unique multi-compartment freezing bag that has been specifically designed to ensure maximal cell recovery. The major compartment (80%) is for transplant purposes, whilst the smaller compartment (20%) may be used for alternate cell based therapies or for cell expansion. [Cell expansion would allow stem cells to replicate in an artificial system. Increased numbers of cells could allow for multiple uses in multiple individuals]. Additionally three smaller segments of tubing with a 1/4 ml of cell suspension are also stored to allow for future testing. All processing is done in a closed system to ensure sterility of the cord blood. For additional safety, the cryobag is sheathed in Teflon before being placed in a stainless steel canister. This unique multi-compartment storage system makes the BioArchive® technology truly future friendly! Some older Canadian cord blood banks process and store the cord blood in a few small cryovials (little plastic tubes). Cryovials carry a number of risks including, possible contamination from sample to sample because vials are not hermetically sealed, explosion hazards at thawing time associated with entry of liquid nitrogen into the vials through the cap gap [liquid nitrogen will expand up to 700 times its volume when warmed]. Additionally, since cord blood from many patients is stored collectively in racks or boxes, the removal of a rack of specimens from the storage chamber in order to retrieve on of the specimens, will cause all of the removed specimens to become warmed. Such inadvertent warming can occur many times over the years of storage in an openable nitrogen tanks, causing the cells to deteriorate. With the BioArchive® there is minimal risk of inadvertent warming and a permanent record of the movement of the sample from room temperature to -196 ˚C is kept. HOW LONG CAN CORD BLOOD BE STORED FOR? There is no evidence at present that cord blood stem cells stored in liquid nitrogen (-196 ˚C) in an undisturbed manner lose their biological activity. Therefore, at the current time, no expiration dates are assigned to cord blood stored continuously under liquid nitrogen. Initial scientific evidence already indicates that after fifteen years of storage, there is no significant deterioration of the cells. In time, as older samples are used, these numbers will change. DECISIONS It is every parents desire to do the best they can to ensure that their child has a healthy life. Most children do reach adulthood with few problems. However, in a small number of cases, conditions such as leukemia, lymphoma etc. may have catastrophic consequences. Bone marrow stem cells may be required in the treatment of these conditions. Finding a matching bone marrow donor can be very costly, difficult and in some cases even impossible. Several thousand patients die each year in North America because they are unable to find a suitable donor. If parent's feel that they might look back and regret not having saved their baby's stem cells or feel that they could take advantage of emerging new therapeutic approaches utilizing stem cells, then they should certainly consider banking their baby's cord blood. Before selecting a cord blood bank, take a moment to understand the technology they use and what is the most up to date system for safely and securely banking your baby's precious stem cells.
Contact: Stem Sciences Inc. Umbilical Cord Blood Bank 77 Finch Avenue West, Suite #300, North York, Ontario M2N 2H5 Tel: 416-730-0800 Toll Free: 1-866-730-0800 Email: info@stemsciences.com Website: www.stemsciences.com



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