Imagine yourself planning for you and your family’s future: Your goal is usually always to provide them with every possible means to a life filled with happiness, comfort, and good health for years to come. Proper planning requires financial and health insurance, which is precisely the concept that stem cell banking allows. Stem cell banking is sometimes compared to insurance. Banked cells do not guarantee a future treatment, because most conditions have no proven stem cell therapy, and whether stored cells can be used depends on the condition and on medical advice at the time.
Stem Cell Preservation
No one can ever really prepare for life-altering medical experiences, but given the importance of health, planning for your future health is equally wise. The benefits of having access to our bio-genetic building blocks in time of need such as stroke, heart attacks or accident can be the difference between limited recovery vs. full recovery. The Regeneration center offers several methods of collecting stem cells, and our team will explain what each method involves, including any discomfort or risks.
Currently, we offer liquid nitrogen storage for:
- Peripheral Blood Stemcells
- Exosomes (cell-derived vesicles, not cells)
- Cord Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Cells
- Cord Blood Stem Cells
- Amniotic Fluid and Amniotic Membrane Derived Stem Cells ( Wharton’s Jelly )
- Wharton Jelly Preservation
- Placenta Derived
- Dental Pulp Mesenchymal Cells
Our Cryogenic laboratories can collect and store UMBC cells long term in liquid nitrogen. Studies of cord blood stored for more than 20 years have found that properly frozen cells can keep good viability and function, although how long stored cells remain suitable for treatment is still being studied. Our laboratory protocols adhere to the criteria of the AABB (American Association of Blood Banks), ISO 15189:2022, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO/IEC 27001:2022, including membership in the Consortium of Tissue Bioengineering.
Cell Collection Fast & Painless
Collection of cord blood, amniotic, Wharton’s jelly or placenta cells usually happens the day you give birth. Collection takes place after the baby is born and the cord is clamped, so it carries little risk for the baby or the mother and usually does not disrupt birth plans. Parents should discuss the timing of cord clamping with their obstetrician, because delayed clamping, which benefits the baby, can reduce the amount of blood collected. Typically, the standard procedure requires the doctors to clamp and save the baby’s umbilical cord.
Using our stem cell collection kit, the doctors will insert a small needle into the umbilical cord to collect any remaining blood and cells.[1] Once the collection process is complete, the doctors can seal the collection bags, and attach the label and place back into the collection kit. Our medical staff in Bangkok can then transport the collection kit from the Thai hospital to our storage facility in Bangkok, where our lab specialists can complete the processing and prepare the cells for long-term storage.[2]
The Natural Healing Properties of Stem Cells
We’ve all heard the old saying, “Health is wealth.” There literally is no amount of money that can compensate from a loss due to preventable illness or accident. For most people, there is usually nothing more important than safeguarding your family in terms of health. It goes beyond financial security, insurance, or health card memberships. Some families choose stem cell banking in case stored cells become useful for a future treatment. Banked cord blood has established uses mainly in blood and immune disorders, and uses for other conditions are still being studied.[3]
Stem cells can develop into certain other cell types, and different kinds have different abilities: blood-forming stem cells rebuild the blood and immune system, while mesenchymal stem cells are being studied for tissues such as bone and cartilage. Their ability to repair organs, nerves, or other tissues in people is still being researched. These building blocks are usually found in a person’s abdominal fat or adipose tissue and bone marrow. With the developments in regenerative medicine over the last 20 years, we are now able to extract and preserve precious stem cells from baby cord blood, placentas, and even dental pulp from wisdom teeth. The most popular form of cell banking happens from Cord Blood, which is already used in transplants to treat certain blood and immune disorders, such as leukemia and some inherited conditions, and is also being studied for use in gene therapies. Learn more about stem cell Therapies.
Hematopoietic Cell Banking
Hematopoietic Transplants from Cord blood are a very potent source for cells in many of our treatments. Hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells are used mainly to rebuild the blood and immune system, for example in transplants for leukemia, lymphoma, and some inherited blood disorders. They do not form skin, and their use for autoimmune diseases such as Lupus or Crohn’s disease is limited to specialized transplant programs and clinical research, while uses for neuropathies and heart disease such as CHF remain investigational. Stem cells can travel toward sites of injury, which is called homing and is guided by cell signaling, although this does not mean they reliably heal damaged tissue.
Stem Cell Storage Guidelines & Costs
Prices for preserving stem cells or cord cell banking depends on the quantity and length of storage needs ( up to 20 years.) To learn more about genetic testing or stem cell banking options please contact us today.
Published Clinical Citations
[1] ^ Balci, Deniz, and Alp Can. 2013. The assessment of cryopreservation conditions for human umbilical cord stroma-derived mesenchymal stem cells towards a potential use for stem cell banking. Current stem cell research & therapy, no. 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23270628
[2] ^ Kawashima, Nobuyuki. 2012. Characterisation of dental pulp stem cells: a new horizon for tissue regeneration? Archives of oral biology, no. 11 (September 14). doi:10.1016/j.archoralbio.2012.08.010. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22981360
[3] ^ Rao, Mahendra, Lars Ahrlund-Richter, and Dan S Kaufman. 2012. Concise review: Cord blood banking, transplantation and induced pluripotent stem cell: success and opportunities. Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio), no. 1. doi:10.1002/stem.770. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22069231