FamilyCord launches advanced cord tissue stem cell processing and storage

FamilyCord, one of the nation's leading cord blood banks, today announced their latest contribution to the advancement of the umbilical cord blood and tissue storage industry: CordTissuePlus.

With CordTissuePlus, new parents now have the opportunity to not only store stem cells from their baby's cord blood, but also from the umbilical cord as well. Stem cells have the capacity to develop into many different cell types in the body and are considered vital to the emerging field of Regenerative Medicine -- a field which currently includes experimental therapies for conditions such as heart disease, spinal cord injury, and stroke.

"We believe this to be the most scientifically advanced cord tissue stem cell processing and storage available," says FamilyCord Medical Director Charles Sims M.D. "When you combine our specially designed collection kit (introduced in 2010), our state-of-the-art cord blood processing, and CordTissuePlus, we really feel like we have created a new Science of Family Security."

With CordTissuePlus, FamilyCord actually verifies the quantity and quality of the collected mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) before placing them into long-term storage – no other bank offers this feature. And while other banks may provide cord tissue segment storage, FamilyCord's process involves extracting the cells into a solution prior to freezing. Storing cells as a solution (rather than as tissue segments) allows for superior cryopreservation that maximizes the number of cells available for future use. In addition, a small sample of the stem cell solution is taken to perform cell expansion to demonstrate that they can grow. Cell expansion gives health-care providers important information about the quality of MSCs for future therapies (this information cannot be obtained from cord tissue segments).

The CordTissuePlus service also includes a PhotoCertificate with a photograph of the expanded sample, a total cell count and viability, and verification of the growth of treatment-ready cells.