THE COLLECTION PROCESS

PRICING AND PAYMENT

DOCTOR PROFILE

CORD BLOOD PRESENTATION

Why should I collect and store my child's umbilical cord stem cells?

By collecting your child’s stem cells at birth, there will always be available an exact match to your child’s stem cells if needed in the future. These cells have also a one- in- four chance of being an exact match to your baby’s siblings. Having your baby’s stem cells stored at birth eliminates the expensive and time-consuming process of finding a matching donor from a public registry, and the corresponding risk of rejection. Stem cell transplants using cord blood from siblings are of significant benefit to ethnic minorities who are generally under-represented in public registries. Cord blood stem cells are more abundant than bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells and are much easier to collect. Today, stem cell transplantation using cord blood stem cells is a mainstream medical procedure.
What is graft versus a host disease?

Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) is a potentially fatal complication in transplant therapy caused by the donor cells attacking the recipient’s cells. Transplants using your own cord blood stem cells (called autologous transplants) have a lower incidence of GVHD than transplants using unrelated donor stem cells (called allogeneic transplants) even though they may be a close match. Until now, transplatation of stem cells from one person to another has been through bone marrow transplantation, a complex and risky procedure.

If there is a family history of a genetic disease, such as leukemia, would it be present in the newborns's genes and, if so, would stem cell transplantation from the cord blood still be an effective way to treat the disease?

Leukemia is not present at the beginning of life, but results from a mutation or change in normal genes later in life. Cord blood stem cells are “pure” cells, and are collected before any changes have occurred in their genetic make-up.

How long have cord blood stem cell transplants been sucessfully used?
The first cord blood transplant was successfully performed in 1988 on a young boy with Fanconi's syndrome, using his sister’s cord blood. Since then, thousands of cord blood transplants have been performed with successful outcomes worldwide in both children and adults
What are the future uses of stem cells?
Current research involves the possible use of cord blood stem cells for the treatment of other non- blood diseases such as diabetes, heart and lung disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus.
How are cord blood stem cells collected?
Cord blood stem cell collection is a simple, painless and non-invasive process. Once you decide to collect your baby’s cord blood, it is essential that you inform your Obstetrician or midwife, who will be performing the collection after delivery of your baby. You will be provided with a collection kit from Stem Cell Cryobank, which you will take to the hospital or birthing center at time of the baby’s birth. The cord blood collection kit contains everything needed for the collection. Your obstetrician or midwife makes the collection after the umbilical cord is cut and while the placenta is still in situ. This takes less than 5 minutes. The cord blood is drained from the umbilical cord into a sterile collection bag provided in the collection kit. Blood samples from the mother are also obtained and sent to our laboratory along with the collected cord blood by pre-arranged courier. Collecting your baby’s cord blood stem cells does not interfere with the birthing process or the immediate post-partum bonding process with your new baby.
What happens after the cord blood stem cells are collected?
After the cord blood stem cells are collected, the collection bag and the mother’s blood samples are placed in the collection kit and kept in the mother’s custody at room temperature. The pre-arranged courier is called for pickup and the kit is delivered to our laboratory. Our laboratory will monitor the shipment to ensure it arrives on time. The collection bag and samples are inspected for damage or leakage and immediately processed. The cord blood is measured for volume and the red blood cells are separated, leaving the white blood cells, which contain the baby’s stem cells. Tests are conducted on the cord blood for progenitor cell analysis (total nucleated count and viability), blood typing, and sterility. The mother’s blood is tested for infectious diseases. After processing, the stem cells are cryopreserved and stored in liquid nitrogen tanks at–150 ° Celsius. A full report of the test results, which includes the total nucleated cell count and viability, is sent to the mother (and her physician if requested).
How much does it cost?
Collecting and storing your baby’s cord blood stem cells is an affordable investment for your child’s future health and well being. Our prices are reasonable and do not contain any hidden charges.

With Stem Cell Cryobank, the complete cost of collection, processing, testing and first year storage is $1495. You are required to pay the first $250 at registration, which allows you to receive the collection kit. The remaining amount can then be paid in easy payments of $105 per month or $315 per quarter. The annual storage cost from the second year onwards is $100 per year. We also offer a complete package that includes collection, courier service, processing, testing and storage for 18 years at a discounted price of $2800.
What happens if it is a multiple birth?
For multiple births, Stem Cell Cryobank recommends collecting a sample from each child to ensure there is a match for each and that enough viable cells are obtained. Please contact Stem Cell Cryobank for discounted pricing offered to families expecting multiple births.
How long before your due date, should the application be completed?
We prefer that you contact us at least four weeks prior to your due date. This gives you time to review the materials and ask questions. However, Stem Cell Cryobank will work with you to accommodate any last minute decision and will rush delivery of the collection kit to you at no additional cost.
What happens if you decide not to collect your baby's cord blood stem cells?
There is only one chance to collect your baby’s cord blood stem cells and that is at the time of birth. It is the right opportunity considering how it may help your child and immediate family in the future. It is not mandatory that you do this, but it is the best biological insurance you can buy today for your child and immediate family. However if you do not wish to do so, you may want to consider donating your baby’s cord blood at no cost to a public registry, where it will be made available to help others needing a transplant.
What happens if your baby's stem cells are needed for a transplant?
In the event your child or their sibling would ever need a stem cell transplant, Stem Cell Cryobank will work diligently with you, your transplant physician and the designated transplant center to identify, locate and safely transfer your child’s stem cells adhering to AABB standards, accompanying documentation and samples required for the transplant.
Who is Stem Cell Cryobank and why should you bank your baby's cord blood with us?

Stem Cell Cryobank is a private cord blood bank, located in Boynton Beach, Florida. Our administrative offices, processing, cryopreservation laboratory, and cryostorage facilities are located on site. We provide a personalized 24-hour service to our customers and have a highly trained professional staff of medical technologists and medical scientists. We are FDA registered and are a member of the Association of American Blood Banks (AABB). We are affiliated with the South Florida Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Institute. Our Medical director Dr. Maharaj has been performing stem cell transplants for the last 20 years.
What differentiates us from other cord blood banks?

We are a local cord blood bank focused on the South Florida community.We provide a personalized service. You will be dealing directly with us and not an agent.You can visit our facility, meet our staff and see where your baby’s stem cells will be stored. Our laboratory staff will come to your maternity room to pick up the cord blood and take it directly back to our laboratory for processing.We take a clinical approach to the collection, processing and storage of the cord blood stem cells. We are affiliated with South Florida Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Institute, where blood cancers are treated with stem cell transplants. Our Medical Director routinely performs stem cell transplants.Our prices are much lower than other private banks- by as much as $600.