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Frequently Asked Questions

 

How can I receive E-mail updates from Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank?

What Every Expectant Parent Should Know About Cord Blood

The Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank Difference

The Nature of Cord Blood

Cord Blood Collection

Cord Blood Processing and Testing

Control of the Cord Blood

Cord Blood Transplantation

Before the Birth of Your Baby

After the Birth of Your Baby

I've moved. How do I change my address with Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank ?

Answers To Most Frequently Asked Questions

What Every Expectant Parent Should Know About Cord Blood

What are my options regarding the disposition of my baby's umbilical cord blood?

Expectant parents can:

  • Collect and preserve the cells for the potential future medical benefit of the family
  • Donate the blood for research or use by an unrelated third party
  • Allow the hospital to discard the newborn's blood

Why should I have my baby's umbilical cord blood collected and preserved?

Your baby's cord blood is rich in stem cells, which are special cells normally found in our bone marrow. Stem cells are the master cells responsible for producing all of the mature cells in our blood and immune system. They form the white cells that fight infection, the red cells that carry oxygen, the platelets that promote clotting and the cells of our immune systems. Because cord blood has a high incidence of these stem cells, they can easily be collected and cryopreserved in case they are needed later in life. Stem cell treatments and transplants have already been used for such wide-ranging diseases and conditions as cancer and leukemia, sickle cell disease, various forms of anemia and severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID's). Experimentation for expanded uses of stem cells holds great promise. Often, matched stem cells, which are necessary for transplant, are difficult to obtain, due to strict matching requirements. However, cells taken from your newborn are a guaranteed match for your baby for his or her lifetime. Additionally, they have at least a 1-in-4 chance of matching a sibling. Banking them at birth may provide future opportunities for medical treatments that may not otherwise exist.

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What does this mean for the other children in the family?

Outcome data shows that, if needed in the future, there is a greater chance for success in a stem cell transplant between siblings than with unrelated donors and recipients. Moreover, there is less chance for severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following transplantation. Approximately 60% of all pregnant women already have one or more children in the family. If you fall into this category, we strongly suggest you consider this important procedure. Many first time mothers are also planning to have additional children. While preserved specimens do not guarantee a match or a cure for every disease, new, evolving stem cell technologies are likely to increase the utilization of preserved specimens in the future.

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Is cord blood collection and preservation expensive?

As parents, we want so very much to protect our children from all the dangers in the world; it is a privilege to be able to add this element of protection against some of the most devastating possibilities our children might face in their lifetimes. Each family makes financial decisions with its own set of values and competing needs and wants. However, our clients tell us that they look back on their decision to store their baby's umbilical cord blood stem cells as one of the most rewarding decisions they made. We see this in a very tangible way with the very high number of repeat clients we have.

At Cryo-Cell, we adhere to the highest standards of quality, and quality workmanship does carry with it a price.

With the increasingly promising research revealing the potential of future stem cell therapies for cardiac disease or neurological diseases, we believe that the value for the cost of collection and preservation of cord blood is increasing every day.

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What are Cryo-Cell's fees for its U-Cord® service?

The Processing and Testing Fee is $1595 and the fixed Annual Storage Fee is $125. The Processing and Testing Fee covers the cost of enrollment, the collection kit, outbound kit shipping, designated courier return shipping (U.S. and Puerto Rico clients only), cord blood processing and infectious disease screening tests on the birth mother's blood. We have special pricing for returning clients and multiples. We also offer a 21-year Storage Plan. For complete details on our fee structure and payment plans, click here.

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The Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank Difference

How long have you been in business?

Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank is one of the largest and most established family cord blood stem cell banks. We were incorporated in 1989 and have been involved in the umbilical cord blood preservation business since 1992. Cryo-Cell is a publicly traded company (OTC: BB Symbol CCEL) specializing in U-Cord® preservation. In 2004 we relocated to our new state-of-the-art processing lab and cryogenic storage facility in Oldsmar, Florida. Our facility is cGMP/cGTP-compliant.

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Why choose Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank ?

Cryo-Cell is committed to providing superior customer service and the highest quality standards for its U-Cord® service. We are one of the world's largest cord blood stem cell banks, serving over 215,000 worldwide clients. The Cryo-Cell mission has always been to offer this important medical technology service to expectant parents with the highest quality and value.

Cryo-Cell is the industry’s quality leader and has more accreditations than leading competitors. Cryo-Cell associates are highly trained and the Company’s state-of-the-art laboratory operations utilizes high quality equipment and manufacturing processes to process, test and preserve your baby's cord blood stem cells. Oversight of our U-Cord service is provided by the Company’s impressive Medical & Scientific Advisory Board. Our Client Services Department includes a team of highly trained advisors and nurse practitioner who are available to assist you or your clinician with questions 24/7.

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What is the financial condition of Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank ?

Cryo-Cell is a stable and successful corporation. Cryo-Cell is a publicly traded company (OTC BB: Symbol CCEL). Our financial information is available on the Internet and filed with the SEC.

In addition to our cell banking business, Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank has an equity position in Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc., which has an agreement with the University of South Florida at Tampa for their research in treating neurologic degenerative diseases. Cryo-Cell has been granted the world marketing rights to any products developed as a result of this agreement.

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The Nature of Cord Blood

What is cord blood?

Cord blood, or umbilical cord blood, is blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta at the time of birth. This blood has typically been discarded following delivery; however, medical science has demonstrated that cord blood is a rich source of stem cells, which can be collected, processed and cryogenically preserved for potential, future use.

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What makes cord blood stem cells unique?

Cord blood stem cells have a number of significant advantages over other sources of stem cells (i.e., bone marrow):

  • cord blood has a high rate of engraftment,
  • is more tolerant of tissue mismatches,
  • results in a lower rate of severe graft-vs-host disease (a major complication in stem cell transplants), and
  • is rarely contaminated with latent viruses.

In addition, cord blood is "privileged" or unexposed to most diseases, which can make bone marrow from an adult more difficult to use in transplantation. But most importantly, cord blood from your baby is a perfect match for your child, in the unlikely event it should ever be needed, and a 1-in-4 chance of matching a current or future sibling. It is important to note that a perfect match may not imply that the cells would be useful to treat certain diseases of the donor.

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Cord Blood Collection

When is the cord blood collected? Is the collection procedure risky or painful?

Cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord immediately after the birth of the baby, and can be performed with either vaginal or cesarean section deliveries. The collection can only take place at the time of delivery, and, since a collection kit is necessary, advance arrangements must be made. There is absolutely no pain or risk to the mother or child during the collection process since the blood is harvested from the cord once it has been clamped and cut.

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How is the cord blood collected?

Umbilical cord blood is easily collected by your caregiver using the U-Cord® Collection Kit and instructions supplied by Cryo-Cell. The umbilical cord is clamped and cut in the same manner as it would be for normal delivery of the baby. Using a blood collection bag, cord blood is drawn from the umbilical cord. Cryo-Cell has found that the bag collection method is both easy to use as well as effective for volume optimization and low contamination rates. Maternal blood is also collected via venipuncture for infectious disease testing.

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Will I be charged a fee by my healthcare provider for the collection of the blood?

Many healthcare providers charge a fee for the procedure of collecting umbilical cord blood. We suggest that you discuss this procedure with your healthcare provider prior to enrolling in our service to verify their agreement to perform the collection; at that time you may determine their policy regarding a collection fee. Cryo-Cell's clients have the opportunity to be reimbursed up to $175 by Cryo-Cell for professional collection fees when presented with proper documentation. This reimbursement will be credited to your Cryo-Cell account or paid directly to your healthcare provider's practice; a form is provided with the collection kit and available on our Web site click here.

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What happens after the cord blood is collected?

The cord blood is packaged with the mother's blood in the special shipping materials provided in the Kit. The parents then call the Cryo-Cell Transportation Coordinator, toll-free at 1-800-786-7235, option 1 to arrange for pick up and delivery of the cord blood to Cryo-Cell's laboratory within 36 to 48 hours of collection, where it is processed, tested, separated and the stem cells are cryogenically stored.

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Cord Blood Processing and Testing

Where is my cord blood processed?

Cryo-Cell has its own state-of-the-art laboratory in Oldsmar, Florida. Cord blood is processed and stored in this facility. Cryo-Cell is registered with the FDA, accredited by the AABB and ISO 9001:2000 certified. Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank specializes in cord blood processing and storage and is a pioneer in the commercial storage of separated cord blood cells.

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What technique does Cryo-Cell use to process the cord blood?

Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank currently uses a hydroxyethyl starch (Hespan®) method to reduce the number of red blood cells, isolating the nucleated white blood cell fraction, which contains the stem cells. These cells are then mixed with DMSO, the cryoprotectant, and Dextran, and stored in a special compartmentalized cryobag.

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What testing is performed?

Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank performs the following tests on every specimen:

  • Maternal blood is tested for syphilis, hepatitis, HTLV, HIV and CMV. This testing regimen determines the infectious disease status and allows the cord blood to potentially be used for "family use", not just "autologous (self) use." In the event that any of the infectious disease screening tests are positive, confirmatory tests will be automatically performed. The cost for the initial screening tests are included in Cryo-Cell's fee; the costs for confirmatory testing, if required, will be billed separately and will typically be less than $100.00.
  • Each cord blood sample is also tested to confirm the absence of microbiological contamination.

Infectious disease testing is performed by an affiliated laboratory that is CLIA certified and FDA registered. The testing regimen outlined allows the sample to be considered for use on other family members, (i.e., siblings) in addition to the baby whose cord blood was collected. HLA typing is not routinely performed at the time of processing, but would be necessary to confirm the compatibility between the donor and a recipient of the cells if they are different. If HLA (human tissue) typing is necessary in the future, it may be performed via blood testing as an insurance reimbursable cost in a typical physician ordered transplant work-up.

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How is the cord blood stored?

Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank currently stores the cord blood cells in a compartmentalized cryobag. The bag includes a 20ml and 5ml sample, three segments for testing and are over-wrapped for added protection. A technique called "controlled-rate freezing" is used to prepare the cells for long-term storage. Then, the bag is housed in a protective cassette and placed in liquid nitrogen dewars for cryogenic preservation. Our storage conditions are monitored for security and temperature. We only store blood stem cells at our facilities.

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Control of the Cord Blood

Who controls the use of the preserved cord blood stem cells?

Until the child is of legal age, the parents, as the child's guardians, have control over the stem cells. No stem cells will be released by Cryo-Cell without the parents' consent initially, and later the child's consent, once they reach legal age.

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Who can use the preserved cord blood stem cells?

The preserved cord blood stem cells are, of course, available as a perfect match for the child from whose umbilical cord they were collected. Because there is a 1-in-4 chance of a perfect match with a sibling, parents may choose to make the cord blood available to siblings or potentially other family members who may need them. That decision is theirs alone.

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Is there a cost to retrieve my newborn's cord blood if needed in the future?

Since you own the preserved specimen, there is no charge for retrieval. The specimen would be transported in a special container to the transplant location in order to maintain cryogenic temperatures.

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Cord Blood Transplantation

What is the history of cord blood transplantation?

Umbilical cord blood was first used for transplantation in 1988, in France, for a patient with Fanconi's anemia; a disease-free sibling was the donor. Since that time, cord blood has been increasingly used as a substitute for bone marrow in thousands of successful transplants.

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How can cord blood be used?

Cord blood stem cells may be used in place of bone marrow or other sources of stem cells for transplantation and has already been used to treat numerous types of malignancies including certain leukemia's, Hodgkin's disease and other types of lymphoma. It has also been used for the treatment of a variety of anemia's, inherited metabolic disorders and deficiencies of the immune system. The majority of cord blood transplants to date have been performed in patients less than 18 years old and have been sibling or allogeneic (unrelated third party) transplants. Click here to view diseases treated with cord blood.

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How successful are cord blood transplants?

Cord blood transplants have been demonstrated to be at least as successful as bone marrow in the cases in which they have been used. By comparison, cord blood has other advantages over bone marrow, including ease of collection and better tolerance of HLA mismatches.

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Has cord blood banked by Cryo-Cell been successfully transplanted?

Cryo-Cell has had a number of successful cord blood transplants for diseases including leukemia, anemia and lymphoma. You can read one client's transplant story here. A complete list of transplants can be viewed here.

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How might cord blood transplants be used in the future?

The nature of treatments for many diseases has changed radically over the past several years. Just a few years ago, gene therapy was unheard of. As the causes of more diseases are determined, more therapies will become available, and it is projected that cord blood transplantation will continue to play a vital role in these therapies. Current promising research is being conducted on the use of umbilical cord blood stem cells for the treatment of cardiac and neurological diseases, to name a few.

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How long can cord blood stem cells be stored?

Sufficient years have not passed to prove the absolute length of time; however, it is believed that stem cells can be successfully stored long term, perhaps decades, in a cryopreserved form. A recent study of cord blood at Indiana University demonstrated its viability after 15 years of cryogenic storage. Bone marrow has been stored for decades and has remained viable; there is no reason to believe that the same would not be true of cord blood.

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Before the Birth of Your Baby

How do I get the Cryo-Cell Collection Kit I need to take to the hospital or birthing center?

  • Completely fill out, initial and sign the Cord Blood Processing, Storage and Informed Consent Agreement and Exhibits 1-5, (Enrollment Form, Fee Schedule, Maternal Health History, HIV Consent and Authorization to Collect). We recommend keeping a copy of these documents. The rest of the information packet is yours to keep.
  • If you fax these forms, please make sure the credit card information is legible, correct and the authorized signature is signed on the Fee Component page. Once you have faxed them to us, please mail the original forms to Cryo-Cell for our files. Our Client Support fax number is 1-800-679-8060. Upon enrollment, standard delivery service for your kit will be by Cryo-Cell’s designated courier service.
  • For parents ordering the kit within 30 days of the expected due date, or for any situation that requires the kit more quickly than the standard delivery service, Cryo-Cell offers an expedited (overnight) delivery service via Cryo-Cell’s designated courier service to U.S. and International clients.
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What do I have to do after the kit arrives, but before I go to the hospital or birthing center to have the baby?

  • It is very important that you read through all the printed material included with the kit as soon as you receive it so that your questions may be answered before you arrive at the hospital or birthing center.
  • Your doctor or midwife has been mailed the Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Instructions. For convenience, an extra copy is included with the kit and should be brought to the birthing location.
  • Store the kit at room temperature at all times to avoid exposure to temperature extremes. Do not leave the kit in your car.
  • Review the Shipping Instructions and the Expectant Parent Checklist. Fill out the portions you can in advance.
  • Make sure to take the kit and all paperwork to the hospital or birthing center when it’s time to deliver your baby.
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After Your Baby’s Birth

How soon does my specimen need to arrive at Cryo-Cell?

For optimal viability results we highly recommend that your specimen is received in our laboratory within 36 to 48 hours of collection. You may arrange for the transport of your specimen by simply calling a Cryo-Cell Transportation Coordinator 24/7/365 @ 1-800-786-7235, option 1. There is no additional charge for this service when utilizing Cryo-Cell’s designated courier; however certain circumstances may dictate the necessity of utilizing an alternative courier (i.e. non-business days or holidays). In this event, a Cryo-Cell Transportation Coordinator will assist you with scheduling and pricing from a list of alternative couriers who will accommodate expedited delivery. The specimen should be kept at room temperature prior to transport.

This service is available for U.S. and Puerto Rico clients only. If you are an international client, shipping instructions will be provided for a courier of your choice.

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How do I notify Cryo-Cell Cord Blood Bank that the specimen is on its way?

The call you place to Cryo-Cell’s Transportation Coordinator is the only notification we need after the birth of your baby; we will handle the rest for you! Our Transportation Coordinator will obtain a tracking # when scheduling the transportation of your specimen, which enables Cryo-Cell to track the delivery of your specimen. Our Transportation Coordinator will follow up with a phone call to provide you with confirmation of receipt, and you will be provided with written confirmation of lab results within two-to-three weeks of processing, testing and storage.

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