Cord Tissue Stem Cell FAQs
What is the difference between the Umbilical Cord Blood collection and the Cord Tissue collection?
How is the Cord Tissue collected?
What happens if I do not store the Cord Tissue?
How is the Cord Tissue processed and stored?
What happens if I need the cells in the future?
Have these cells been studied to treat diseases?
Are Mesenchymal Stem Cells used in Therapeutic Treatments?
What is the difference between the Umbilical Cord Blood collection and the Cord Tissue collection?
Umbilical cord blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical vein in the umbilical cord and placenta at the time of birth. This blood is rich in hematopoietic or blood derived stem cells. The cord tissue or Wharton’s jelly is the tissue surrounding the umbilical vein and vessels in the cord. When the vessels are removed you have tissue remaining which contains stem cells termed mesenchymal stem cells. The mesenchymal stem cells have the capability to differentiate into bone cells, fat cells and cartilage to name a few. The tissue is very rich in these stem cells.
How is the Cord Tissue collected?
After the cord blood has been collected and the placenta has been delivered, the cord tissue will be collected. A 4-8” segment of the cord is cleansed and cut to place in a container for transport to the laboratory. The cord tissue collection is safe and may be collected in both a vaginal and cesarean section births. The container will be transported along with the cord blood for immediate processing once it reaches the laboratory.
What happens if I do not store the Cord Tissue?
The cord tissue will be discarded if you do not select the option to store the cord tissue.
How is the Cord Tissue processed and stored?
The cord tissue is treated with a buffered solution to clean the cord when it arrives in the lab. The cord is then processed into pieces to cryogenically store the tissue and cells. The cryopreserved tissue is stored in two (2) containers. To enhance the safety of the stored specimens they are over wrapped and the containers are stored in the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen.
What happens if I need the cells in the future?
Additional fees will be required to prepare the cells for use when the need arises.
The client will also be responsible for any additional testing required and transportation fees.
Have these cells been studied to treat diseases?
The cells have been assessed in pre-clinical studies for multiple diseases including acute kidney injury, spinal cord injury, retinal disease, blood vessel repair, nerve regeneration, heart disease and stroke. Peer-reviewed journal references are available upon request
Are Mesenchymal Stem Cells used in Therapeutic Treatments?
Mesenchymal stem cells from many different tissues are being tested in clinical trials for efficacy. In addition, cells specifically derived from cord tissue are currently being used in several clinical trials, for example, treating Cardiomyopathy, Ulcerative Colitis, Diabetes, Anemia, Autism and Cirrhosis of the Liver. For more information on these clinical trials you may log on to clinicaltrials.gov.
Cryo-Cell’s umbilical cord tissue service provides expectant families with the opportunity to cryogenically store their newborn’s umbilical cord tissue cells contained within substantially intact cord tissue. Should umbilical cord tissue cells be considered for potential utilization in a future therapeutic application, further laboratory processing will be required.
Cryo-Cell’s activities for New York State residents are limited to collection, processing, and long-term storage of umbilical cord tissue stem cells. Cryo-Cell’s possession of a New York State license for such collection, processing and long-term storage does not indicate approval or endorsement of possible future uses or future suitability of these cells.