FamilyCord

About

FamilyCord is a subsidiary of  California Cryobank, one of the nation's leading sperm banks and a provider of cryogenic services for 30 years. 

Labs and Locations

FamilyCord's dedicated cord blood laboratory is separate from the laboratory of their parent company California Crybobank, and is located at their headquarters in Los Angeles.

FamilyCord – Los Angeles
11915 La Grange Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90025

In 2010, FamilyCord launched CordTissuePLUS, the additional service of banking cord tissue.  Clients who are storing both cord blood and cord tissue use the FamilyCord laboratory in Indianapolis.

FamilyCord – Indianapolis
1102 Indiana Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46202

Business Experience

FamilyCord has been providing stem cell services for 15 years and has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau. FamilyCord is operated by nationally renowned physicians, including a stem cell transplant physician. The company is guided by world-class scientific expertise and medical ethics in everything it does. FamilyCord has extensive experience in clinical laboratory management, cord blood banking, and frozen tissue storage.

The parent company of FamilyCord, California Cryobank Inc., was founded in 1977 by two physicians, Dr. Cappy Rothman and Dr. Charles Sims.  With the development of medical therapies based on cord blood stem cells, California Cryobank opened the Stem Cell Services division in 1997 and became the first private cord blood bank in California.  The stem cell laboratory has always been completely separate from the reproductive tissue business.

In 2005, the business changed its name to Family Cord Blood Services.  The lab moved less than a mile from Santa Monica to a larger, state-of-the-art facility in Los Angeles.  In 2009, the name was shortened to "FamilyCord" and the logo redesigned.

Collection Kit

Superior Collection Kit
FamilyCord features a patented state-of-the-art collection kit to provide maximum stem cell protection:
•    Temperature stabilizers provide 10 hours of protection against severe heat and cold - most kits offer only 30 minutes of temperature protection
•    Reinforced case and protective inner tubes provide the ultimate protection against breakage
•    FDA-approved blood collection bag included in our OSHA-compliant kit

FamilyCord utilizes Fenwal (previously known as Baxter) or the strile Pall gravity flow collection blood bags. Also, as recommended by the FDA, FamilyCord collection bags utilize liquid Citric Phosphate Dextrose (CPD) anticoagulant. We have never used any form of heparin. Our kit includes iodine swabs for disinfection and offers a sterile C-section extension set when utilizing Fenwal bags.

Transportation Container

•    Kit includes an inner container specially designed with patented materials and gel packs to provide maximum thermal insulation
•    Kit is validated to maintain room temperature under ISTA test conditions.
•    Container is guaranteed to maintain room temperature for 10 hours.
•    Temperature monitoring device is used during outbound shipment for released samples.

Shipping Info:

•    Shipping is handled by FamilyCord’s contracted Professional Medical Courier (parents call)
•    Contract price includes shipping by Professional Medical Courier within the United States
•    The courier is available on weekends and holidays
•    Non-US shipments may incur additional shipping fees

Processing Method

•    Proprietary red-cell depletion plasma reduction method
•    FamilyCord processing results for TNC and CD34+ compare favorably with published cord blood data
•    Our laboratory staff individually processes each cord blood unit
•    FamilyCord achieves an average of 3.8 million CD34+ cells

Components Stored

•    FamilyCord provides cord blood certificate describing test results (cell counts, viability)
•    CordTissuePLUS includes a photo certificate that contains results and photo of expanded MSC
•    Storage: Buffy coat containing white cells and stem cells, plus three (3) attached segments
•    Maternal blood is collected, tested, and an aliquot is stored testing

Storage Method

•    Final storage is in dual compartment blood bags
•    Storage technology includes heat-sealed overwrap of bag
•    Temporary quarantine storage in vapor phase, the units are later moved to long-term storage
•    Long-term storage is in liquid nitrogen (99%); some units may require long-term vapor storage (1%)
•    FamilyCord never uses BioArchive due to retrieval and mechanical arm “freeze-up” issues

Licensing & Accreditation

FamilyCord - Los Angeles laboratory holds these certifications:
•    Registered by the United States FDA
•    Accredited by AABB
•    Certified by CLIA
•    Additional state licenses for operation in CA, NJ, NY

FamilyCord - Indianapolis laboratory holds these certifications:
•    Registered by the United States FDA
•    Accredited by AABB
•    Certified by CLIA
•    Additional state licenses for operation in MD, NJ, NY

Clinical Experience

FamilyCord is operated by nationally renowned physicians, including a stem cell transplant physician. We are guided by world-class scientific expertise and medical ethics in everything we do. FamilyCord has extensive experience in clinical laboratory management, cord blood banking, and frozen tissue storage.
•    As of June 2011, 101 transplants of stem cells have been released for clinical use.
•    FamilyCord has released 4 cord blood collections held by families.
•    FamilyCord does not collect cord blood for public cord blood banking
•    We participate in clinical trials that study the use of cord blood for medical treatment.  As of June 2011, we are participating in trials at the Duke, Shands, and Stanford medical centers.

Guarantees

In the event a unit is released for transplantation, unused storage will be refunded to client.

Community Service

•    Free processing and storage for families where an immediate relative has a diagnosis for which stem cell therapies are being utilized
•    Discounts for Military Personnel
•    Discounts for First Responders (EMT, Policemen, Firemen)
•    Discounts for Healthcare Professionals
•    Discounts for Students
•    Public Donation Option no longer available due to new regulations for public units

Prices

Our CordBlood Service:
One-time Collection & Processing fee       $1820   
Professional Medical Courier fee              $  150
Annual Storage 1-Year                            $  125
Total                                                      $2095

5-Year CB Prepaid ($50 discount)            $  575
10-Year CB Prepaid ($250 discount)        $1000
20-Year CB Prepaid ($700 discount)        $1800
25-Year CB Prepaid ($875 discount)        $2250

Payment plans as low as $41/month for CordBlood.
Option of low up-front fee ($350) but pay for storage monthly.
Cord tissue can be added to any cord blood package.

Additional Services

•    Cord blood HLA testing for an additional $250
•    Additional storage options for large collections: split sample for $125 per unit.
•    Processing and Storage of umbilical cord tissue, called CordTissuePLUS, provides storage of expanded MSC.

Prices with Additional Services

FamilyCord offers cord tissue processing with cord blood for an additional $650 to cover processing and an additional $145 storage fee.  The price of CordTissuePLUS collection and processing alone would be $1250, hence combining it with CordBlood is a savings of $600.

CordBlood and CordTissuePLUS:
One-time Collection & Processing fee         $2420
Professional Medical Courier fee                $  150
Annual Storage 1-Year                              $  270
Total                                                        $2840

5-Year CB+T Prepaid ($100 discount)        $1250
10-Year CB+T Prepaid ($500 discount)      $2200
20-Year CB+T Prepaid ($1400 discount)    $4000
25-Year CB+T Prepaid ($1750 discount)    $5000

Payment plans as low as $68/month for CordBlood and CordTissuePLUS.