Community Blood Services

About

The Elie Katz Umbilical Cord Blood Program at Community Blood Services provides family cord blood banking in a laboratory that is a member of the NMDP public banking network. They serve as a contract laboratory for a number of companies that market family cord blood banking.

Labs and Locations

Community Blood Services processes cord blood in their laboratory at
102 Chestnut Ridge Rd, Montvale, NJ 07645
Long-term storage is in their former laboratory location:
1 Pearl Court, Unit C Allendale, NJ 07401

Business Experience

Incorporated in 1953, Bergen Community Regional Blood Center, doing business as Community Blood Services, is a full service not-for-profit, independent blood center, headquartered in New Jersey. In 1996, Community Blood Services established The Elie Katz Umbilical Cord Blood Program to meet the needs of a growing population of cancer patients who were candidates for stem cell transplants. This program provides processing and storage for cord blood companies who operate family banking programs that collect cord blood stem cells from newborns for possible future use by the baby or a family member suffering from leukemia, sickle cell anemia or another serious disease.

Collection Kit

Community Blood Services does not provide their own collection kits, because they serve family banks as a contract laboratory. Each company that is marketing banking services is responsible for providing their own collection kit.

Transportation Container

Community Blood Services does not provide transportation containers, because they serve family banks as a contract laboratory. Each company that is marketing banking services is responsible for transportation of the blood to the laboratory.

Shipping Info:

Community Blood Services does not provide shipping services, because they serve family banks as a contract laboratory. Each company that is marketing banking services is responsible for shipping the blood to the laboratory.

Processing Method

Community Blood Services uses the state of the art, fully automated Sepax S-100 processing system from Biosafe. The Sepax processing kit is a sterile, single-use, functionally closed system, so that the cord blood never comes into contact with the external environment. Tests are taken after processing and before freezing to check counts of CD34+, TNC, and 7-AAD cell viability in order to verify product quality. Then, a cryo-preservative (55% DMSO/Dextran 40 solution) is added to the blood in a controlled manner through the utilization of an automated temperature controlled system, COOLMIX AS-210. The cooled cells are placed in a metal cassette and labeled with a unique identifying number.

Components Stored

The result of processing the cord blood is to separate a layer called the "buffy coat" which includes both white cells and stem cells. It is stored in a 25mL compartmentalized freezing bag that has 3 testing segments on the tubing, plus 2 additional aliquots. Additional samples may be stored depending on client specifications.

Storage Method

The cassette containing the processed cells undergoes freezing starting at -80° C and is brought down to -150° C or below. The cells are held in a quarantine tank until all test results have been received and a final disposition is determined.

Licensing & Accreditation

Community Blood Services is a public cord blood bank in the NMDP network and holds numerous licenses and accreditations, including: accreditation by AABB and CLIA.They are licensed to collect cord blood from all the states that require licensing: CA, MD, NJ, and NY.

Clinical Experience

Community Blood Services also operates the New Jersey Cord Blood Bank (public bank). Processing and storage of both public and family cord blood collections take place in the same laboratory. As of January 2012, Community Blood Services’ stem cell laboratory has released close to 300 cord blood units for transplant.