Family Bank: Cordlife India

About

Cordlife Sciences India Private Limited is a fully owned subsidiary of Cordlife Group Limited. The Indian Laboratory is AABB accredited and operates the most advanced umbilical cord blood processing, testing and cryopreservation facility in the country, with a storage capacity exceeding 200,000 cord blood units.

Cordlife Group Limited (“Cordlife”, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”), founded in 2001, is a leading company dedicated to safeguarding the well-being of mother and child. Listed on the Mainboard of the Singapore Exchange since 2012, the Group is a pioneer in private cord blood banking in Asia. Cordlife operates Asia's largest network of cord blood banks. With full stem cell banking laboratories in six key markets, Cordlife Group is an industry leader in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and one of the top three market leaders in India and Malaysia. Through its majority-owned subsidiary in Malaysia, StemLife Berhad, Cordlife holds an indirect stake in Thailand’s largest private cord blood bank, THAI StemLife. 

Cordlife Group offers multiple services. In 2011 Hong Kong introduced its patented technology to extract Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) and Epithelial Stem Cells (CL-EpSCs) from the umbilical cord lining for future potential cellular therapies. In addition to cord blood, cord lining, and cord tissue banking, Cordlife Group offers families a comprehensive suite of diagnostic services, including non-invasive prenatal testing, paediatric vision screening and newborn metabolic screening.

Labs and Locations

• Corporate Office: Unit No.1102, 11th floor, Acropolis Mall, 1858/1, Rajdanga Main Road, Kasba, Kolkata, West Bengal 700107, India
• Registered Office: P.L. Deuty Road, off Diamond Harbour Road, Bishnupur, 24 Parganas (S), West Bengal 743 503, India

Business Experience

Cordlife India is the first cord blood bank in India to process cord blood with the state-of-the-art AXP®II System. Cordlife India has a storage capacity for approximately 200,000 units scalable by another few hundred thousand. Cordlife India is located within a natural calamity proof building, the facility is also built with continuous power backup and round-the-clock surveillance system.

Cordlife Group inhabits a distinctive niche in the healthcare industry. The Group is one of the foremost private cord blood banks to have gained a solid foothold in Asia. In the last 23 years, Cordlife has dedicated its undertakings to achieve market leadership in the industry. Having built a distinguished brand name, the Group continues to strive for excellence by means of support from its experienced management team, dynamic key executives along with its quality product and service offerings. Cordlife believes the Group has in place a strong foundation for future expansion.

The Cordlife Group is composed of:

• ​Cordlife Group Limited – Singapore
• Cordlife (Hong Kong) Limited - Hong Kong & Macau
• Health Baby Biotech (Hong Kong) Co., Limited – Hong Kong & Macau
• Cordlife Sciences India Pvt Limited - India & Bangladesh
• PT Cordlife Persada - Indonesia
• Cordlife Medical Philippines, Inc. – the Philippines
• StemLife Berhad – Malaysia & Brunei
• THAI StemLife - Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia
• CL Biotech Company Limited - Vietnam

Collection Kit

The UN3373 certified collection kit contains a 150 ml closed system blood bag that is pre-loaded with anti-coagulant (CPDA) to allow the caregiver to collect the blood available. The kit also consists of one tube for umbilical cord collection and three foam bricks (1 large and 2 small) for temperature maintenance during transit. Compared to gel packs, these foam bricks are found to maintain temperature more consistently. The kits also contains 3 maternal Blood Collection tubes in a separate container with a Box in Box concept.

Transportation container

Cordlife India's collection kit box is carefully designed to ensure that the temperature within the kit box is maintained within an acceptable range and to minimize any fluctuation during harsh weather conditions and transportation.

Made of styrofoam, the kit box is further coated with hard plastic on the inside and has vacuum insulation between both materials as an added feature to help minimize temperature fluctuation. To ensure optimal temperature control, Cordlife uses three foam bricks which maintain their shape, and can retain cold temperature for much longer than conventional gel packs. The purpose of using 3 foam bricks has a scientific basis and has been validated. The large foam brick placed at the bottom maintains a temperature between 4-37^oC which is important for the cord blood. At the same time, teo additional foam bricks are place in close proximity of the Maternal Blood Samples which are contained in a separate box on top, to maintain temperature between 2-8^oC, as the Cord Blood and Maternal Blood samples require different temperatures to be stable. Cordlife India's collection kit box has been validated at a temperature of 48° C at 100% humidity for 72 hours.

Shipping Info

Cordlife India has partnered with the best temperature-controlled logistics & transportation companies in the industry, to help ensure safe and timely delivery of the collected cord blood and umbilical cord samples to its laboratory and transportation to transplant centres for final usage.  Our UN3373 certified kit box is also X-ray free certified to prevent the samples from passing through X-ray checks during transportation, which is detrimental for the stem cells.

Processing Method

Cordlife India is the first cord blood bank in India to process cord blood with the AXP®II System, which is an FDA approved, c-GMP and c-GTP compliant, functionally closed, automated cord blood processing platform, placed in a clean-room to ensure that stem cells are processed under the most sterile conditions. The AXP®II processing ensures higher recovery of MNCs (Mononuclear Cells) (98.7%)¹ and viable CD34+ (Haematopoietic Stem Cells) (97.3%)² allowing better chance of a successful engraftment in transplantations. 

References:

1. David T. Harris. Collection, Processing, and Banking of Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells for Clinical Use in Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine. LabMedicine 2008; 3(3).
2. Christy Kim et al. Meta-analysis of the AXP® and SEPAX® automated cord blood processing systems. CESCA Therapeutics White Paper; 2015.

Components Stored

Parents are provided with a Cryopreservation Certificate describing the test results obtained which include Total Viable Nucleated Cell Count (TVNCC), total CD34+ cell count as well as presence or absence of bacteria and fungi. The Maternal Blood Sample is screened for HIV, HBV, HCV, HTLV, CMV, Syphilis, Malaria and additional tests as required by Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), AABB and other national regulatory bodies. Cordlife employs Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) is conducted to confirm HIV 1/2, HBV and HCV in accordance with requirements of AABB.

Storage Method

Cord Blood: Final cord blood storage is in 25ml multi-compartment cryobag with integral segments to allow for future testing. The cryobag is further encased in a metal cassette as to protect the cryobag as well as for better thermal conductivity. Cordlife India stores the cord blood units in vapour phase of cryogenic nitrogen to prevent even the minutest chance for cross-contamination. All cord blood units are temporarily stored in quarantine tanks and will be moved to permanent tanks once the units have passed through necessary testing and been declared fit for storage.

Licensing & Accreditation

• Licensed by Drug Controller General of India (DCGI)
• Accredited by AABB (Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies), the gold standard for cord blood banking
• Certified by ISO 9001/2015
• Accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP)
• Accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) in accordance with the standard ISO 15189:2012 & ILAC
• Certified by WHO-GMP
• Registered with USFDA

Clinical Experience

The Group has made 77 cord blood releases to 21 healthcare institutions in ten different countries, allowing its clients to use their cord blood for transplantation or cellular therapy. Cordlife has also assisted its clients in the release of 21 cord lining, cord tissue, and cord tissue mesenchymal stem cell releases for medical use. All of the samples processed and stored by Cordlife were used successfully in cellular therapy, which is the ultimate validation of the Group’s processing and storage capabilities.

Insurance

Cordlife India provides a legally binding agreement* to their clients. The Company also provides guarantees for the following items:

• Insurance back up from AIA up to INR 25 lakhs for cord blood transplant inclusive of all expenses*.
• Complete Transportation Liability worth INR 20 lakhs, in case sample is damaged during transit to transplant centre, such that the responsibility is owned till the sample is safely delivered to the destination.
• Quality Warranty worth INR 20 lakhs if the sample loses its viability or potency and is declared unfit for use by transplant physician.
• Medical Assistance up to INR 20 lakhs to cover cost of treatment using cord tissue stem cells.
• Access to allogeneic samples from public banks worldwide as and when needed.
• Services are applicable for both approved treatments and approved clinical trials.
• Baby and immediate family members can avail the services.
• Special provision is made to include grandparents as well.

*Please refer to the service agreement for complete terms and conditions for the services.

Community Service

Cordlife provides complimentary medical concierge service for clients. As a part of this service, Cordlife will give information regarding the doctor, hospital, and travel options to the client who would require a stem cell transplant or therapy.

Prices

Cordlife has flexible plans which are priced affordably so that many families can benefit from stem cell storage. For more information, BOOK A FREE presentation at https://www.cordlifeindia.com/price-plan

Toll free hotline: 1800 121 6200
Customer Care Hotline: +91 98301 66200
Email info@cordlifeindia.com

Additional Services

Cordlife also offers several additional services including:

• Data Logger Services
• Newborn metabolic screening (Metascreen)
• Prenatal screening & NIPT
• Prenatal Maternal Serum Screening