Banking For Potential Cures Press ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Los Angeles, CA (March, 2005) – Americans are steeped in insurance. They take out health insurance to pay medical bills; fire insurance in case of fire, car insurance in case of accidents, home insurance in case of thefts, earthquake insurance in case of earthquakes, and so on. Now another kind of insurance has grabbed the attention of families desiring a way to safeguard their babies’ future health. With the advent of the technology to process stem cells for freezing, coupled 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 now “buying insurance” or, more specifically, “banking” cord blood, as insurance for their children against the potential of life threatening diseases. According to Dr. Sims, founder and medical director of California Cryobank Stem Cell Services, an umbilical cord blood processing and storage company, (a subsidiary of one of the largest and oldest reproductive tissue banks in the world, California Cryobank, Inc.), “Cord blood, or simply the blood from the umbilical cord, is loaded with "stem cells" which are origins of the body's immune and blood system and may be the origin of other organs and important systems in the body.” Key to cord blood banking is the match. If used by the baby it is a 100% match. If used by siblings it has a 25% chance of matching. Says Dr. Sims, “Consider this. You give birth to a healthy baby. Development happens at a normal pace. But at age five, your child develops a life-threatening disease and parents despair. A frantic worldwide search for a cure or treatment leads them to a dead end -- no known treatments. But what if these same parents had been told at the time of the birth, that in banking the baby’s umbilical cord blood, they could thwart the life threatening disease?” Physicians now know that stem cells are “unspecialized” cells and have the ability to re-constitute an immune system. As a result, these stem cells have the potential to provide cures or new treatments for many diseases and injuries.” At California Cryobank Stem Cell Services, one of the few private umbilical cord blood banks owned and operated by doctors, cord blood is stored strictly for use by the parents for their child, siblings or other family members. Harvesting and banking cord blood is a fairly simple procedure that can be performed during vaginal or caesarian deliveries without interrupting the birth process. The doctor or nurse will collect the cord blood after the umbilical cord has been clamped and immediately put it into the cord blood collection kit, which offers unique thermal stability to the fragile cells. It then travels to the California Cryobank Stem Cell Services storage facility via a specialized medical courier. This ensures that a child will have access to his/her own genetically unique cells. A few years ago, cord blood was simply discarded as medical waste after a birth. With the phenomenal growth in awareness that stem cells have unique qualities, which can be used in treatment of certain cancers, lymphoma, leukemia, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, cord blood banking is becoming much more commonplace. No one will argue that, universally, parents will go to great lengths to take care of their children’s health. Over recorded history, parents have sought out means and ways to treat and cure their child of any ills, be it through homemade remedies, experimental cures or, more recently, by surfing the Internet for information on the latest scientific research and new treatments. Cord blood banking has taken its place in this search by those who have explored and acknowledged the medical possibilities of stem cells to fight disease and potentially save a child’s life. ### About Family Cord Blood ServicesFamily 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. |
