ACOG Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FAMILY CORD BLOOD SERVICES (FCBS) TO PRESENT DOCTORS WITH POWERFUL FACTS ABOUT CORD BLOOD STEM CELLS AT THE 2005 ANNUAL CLINICAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF OB/GYN

FCBS EXHIBIT BOOTH TO EMPHASIZE THE SIMPLICITY AND ENORMOUS BENEFIT OF BANKING CORD BLOOD STEM CELLS, KNOWN TO CURE OVER 50 BLOODBORNE DISEASES

Los Angeles (May 4, 2005) – As doctors from across the world gather in San Francisco for the 53rd Annual Clinical Meeting of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Family Cord Blood Services (FCBS) will present compelling facts and statistics on cord blood stem cells and the enormous benefits families stand to reap from banking their children’s cord blood.

Meeting attendees will have the opportunity to meet with Kaj Rydman, President of Family Cord Blood Services, to discuss the progress of cord blood stem cell therapies, and options new parents have for storing cord blood. Says Rydman, “The stem cells found in cord blood have the potential to provide cures or new treatments for many diseases including certain cancers, lymphoma, leukemia, diabetes, and anemia. More recently, we have seen evidence of cord blood stem cells differentiating into heart muscle cells, offering potential new therapies for stroke victims, considerably expanding the scope of cord blood stem cell banking.”

Continues Rydman, “A few years ago, cord blood was simply discarded as medical waste after a birth. With the phenomenal growth in awareness that cord blood stem cells have unique qualities, coupled with the advent of the technology to process stem cells for freezing, cord blood banking is becoming much more commonplace.”

According to Dr. Charles Sims, Co-Founder of both Family Cord Blood Services, (one of the few private umbilical cord blood banks owned and operated by doctors), and its parent company California Cryobank, Inc., (one of the largest and oldest reproductive tissue banks in the world), “key to successful treatment is the cord blood match. If used by the baby it is a 100% match. If used by siblings it has a 25% chance of matching.” With the recognition by the international medical community that stem cells have the ability to generate healthy new cells, tissues and organs, parents-to-be are ever more cognizant that banking cord blood is an option that cannot be ignored.

At Family Cord Blood Services, cord blood is stored strictly for use by the parents for their child, siblings or other family members. This ensures that a child will have access to his/her own genetically unique cells. Harvesting and banking cord blood is a simple, painless procedure that can be performed after vaginal or caesarian deliveries without interrupting the birth process. The cord blood specimen then travels to the FCBS state-of-the-art storage facility from anywhere in the world via a specialized medical courier.

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About Family Cord Blood Services

Family Cord Blood Services (www.familycordbloodservices.com), formerly California Cryobank Stem Cell Services, an umbilical cord blood processing and storage company, was founded as a division of California Cryobank, Inc. (CCB) seven years ago by the same veteran team of physician visionaries that earned CCB its global reputation of excellence. Today, Family Cord Blood Services’ sophisticated process of cord blood processing, freezing and storage, serves families throughout the US and worldwide. Family Cord Blood Services’ staff includes on site licensed clinical laboratory scientists with extensive blood banking experience. The company is licensed by PharmaStem and holds a biologics license by the State of California, a tissue bank license from the State of New York and is accredited by the AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks). Its facility is registered with the Food and Drug Administration.