Above: New 5-chamber cord blood stem cell storage bag in metal cassette. Below: Outgoing two-chamber cord blood storage bag 
Cryo-Cell International's new forward-looking, five-compartment cord blood freezer bag allows for multiple uses of the baby’s cord blood stem cells. It also works in conjunction with other proprietary process improvements by Cryo-Cell International that have increased stem cell viability by 10 percent.
This new FDA-approved bag replaces the dual-chambered cord blood bag, which gained wide usage in the industry after it was developed in 2002. This outgoing bag held 80 percent of its contents in one main compartment, giving parents and doctors only one sample for transfusions and a second smaller sample for the option of retention or future cultivation. The premium cord blood freezer bag features five equal chambers, giving doctors the opportunity to utilize only a portion of the collection if desired.
Benefits for parents
Many parents are concerned about the number of times they will be able to utilize their babies’ cord blood collections. They know that cord blood stem cells can be used not only by the donor but also possibly by other immediate family members. Many millennial parents want to have the option of multiple doses available to better safeguard their whole families.
These parents’ concerns have been answered with our new multi-chamber freezing bag. It will give parents new options and flexibility for how they use their baby’s cord blood stem cells. Now, more families will be able to use some of their stem cells for one clinical application and still retain more stem cells for future use.
Benefits for researchers and doctors
Having multiple compartments also provides doctors with more options. A single collection can be beneficial if separated into multiple treatments, or all at once if so desired. The forward-looking design opens the door for future advancements in the ex vivo (outside the body) expansion of stem cells. There are several clinical trials underway confirming various cell expansion techniques. (One recent study found a molecule, UM171, that can enable "robust" expansion of cord blood stem cells.) If the day comes when such practices have been firmly established, the multi-chamber cryo-preservation bag will provide researchers, doctors, and families more options and the possible extended usage of the stored cord blood.
Better viability
Medical technician stores a rack of cord blood storage bags inside a cryo-preservation tankUnder initial testing, the five-chamber bag and other proprietary changes have increased stem cell viability by 10 percent. Better viability gives parents just another reason to entrust Cryo-Cell International with their cord blood collection.
How the five-chamber bag works
The doctor will collect the cord blood in the single bag provided in our advanced collection kit. The collection should take place after delivery of the baby but before the delivery of the placenta as normal. Parents should notify the doctor that he or she is encouraged to fill the cord blood bag as full as possible. Once the cord blood has arrived at our lab and during processing, a Cryo-Cell scientist will divide the collection among the five equal compartments. The type of processing and how the cord blood is cryo-preserved itself has not changed.
How much does it cost?
The best part for parents: The new five-chamber bag will become a standard part of our cord blood processing at no additional cost. This will give all parents who bank with Cryo-Cell International more options when it comes to the use of their child’s cord blood.
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