Family Bank: ViaCord

About

As an industry leader for over 25 years, ViaCord delivers high-quality stem cell collection and storage for families who want to prepare for their future health. ViaCord is committed to achieving the best results for families and pushing the science for using cord blood and tissue stem cells forward, so families have more options for treatment in the future.

Hundreds of thousands of families trust ViaCord to keep their baby’s cord blood and tissue stem cells safe. Already, over 500 ViaCord families have used their stem cells for transplant or regenerative medicine research.

ViaCord is also proud to be a part of Revvity, a $2 billion global company focused on a healthier humankind by expanding boundaries of human potential through science.

Labs and Locations

ViaCord’s state-of-the-art laboratory is located just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio (in Hebron KY), and is operational 24/7. It’s near an international airport, which allows for the expedition of stem cell collections to and from the lab. To date, the ViaCord lab has processed over 500,000 stem cell units.

The ViaCord laboratory is FDA registered and CLIA certified. ViaCord is accredited by the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB) for processing and storing newborn stem cells from both cord blood and cord tissue. Very few cord blood banks are also accredited for processing cord tissue. After being placed in a 5-compartment bag, the stem cells are stored in freezers, similar to ones used by major research institutions, inside a FEMA class storage vault where they are monitored for the smallest of temperature changes.

Business Experience

For over 25 years, ViaCord has offered families confidence, quality, and innovation:

• ViaCord has stored over 500,000 cord blood and cord tissue units as of Feb. 2021.
• Released over 500 cord blood units to families for use in transplant or regenerative medicine research to help treat conditions including autism and cerebral palsy. See their stories, here.
• For over 15 years, ViaCord was part of PerkinElmer. In 2022 the PerkinElmer Applied, Food, and Enterprise Services were acquired by New Moun­tain Cap­i­tal for $2.45 billion, and in May 2023 the remaining life sciences and diagnostic business (including ViaCord) was rebranded as Revvity.
• See their accreditations here: The ViaCord lab is FDA registered, CLIA certified, and AABB accredited for processing and storing newborn stem cells from both cord blood and cord tissue.
• ViaCord is the only bank to process and store stem cells from both cord blood and cord tissue in a 5-compartment bag.
• ViaCord is the only family bank to publish short and long-term survival rates – 88% at 1 year.
• ViaCord has a long history of supporting cord blood and tissue research at leading academic institutions including Duke University. Learn more, here.
• Their cord tissue processing method results in a final product that is treatment-ready, containing 8x the number of cells available when storing pieces of the umbilical cord.
• ViaCord offers families additional health insights with genomic testing.

Collection Kit

See the collection kit here: ViaCord's collection kit contains everything that both the expecting parents and the medical professional need, including:

• Instructions for the medical professional collecting the cord blood and tissue
• Instructions for parents
• Cord blood collection materials
• Cord tissue collection materials

ViaCord’s cord blood collection bag was developed in collaboration with medical equipment manufacturer Pall Corporation and is suitable for all deliveries, including Cesarean. It’s pre-filled with citrate phosphate dextrose (CPD) approved by the FDA. Compared to collection bags filled with heparin, collection bags filled with CPD increase stem cell yield by more than 50%.

Transportation container

ViaCord’s transport container includes foam insulation that controls temperature during transportation. Every umbilical cord blood unit is assessed for viability using the 7-AAD stain to ensure appropriate temperature controls were maintained during transportation.

Shipping Info

• After the cord blood and tissue collection is complete, ViaCord dispatches a courier to pick up the collection kit from the hospital and facilitate transportation to their lab, which operates 24/7 all year round.
• ViaCord uses  MNX (Midnight Express), a private medical courier service, which is available 24/7, 365 days a year for pickup and transportation.
• Shipping cost is included in the first-year service fees for U.S. collections.

Processing Method

ViaCord’s goal is to capture the greatest yield of pure stem cells for families to preserve for future use. Their individualized process helps maximize the yield of the stem cells from each collection.

• Every cord blood collection goes through a red blood cell depletion recommended by the FDA to get the purest stem cell collection.
• ViaCord uses a manual cord blood processing method with hetastarch, which allows for custom treatment of every unit, big or small, to optimally retrieve the stem cells.
• ViaCord was the first bank to extract stem cells from the cord tissue prior to storage, resulting in 8 times the number of cells available for future use. Viacord is the only family cord blood bank that stores these cells in multiple compartments for multiple therapies.

Components Stored

• ViaCord provides customers with a certificate of cryopreservation and document describing the size of the cord blood unit. 
• In addition to storing cord blood in a 5-compartment bag for multiple uses, ViaCord stores three contiguous samples for unit testing and a dried blood spot card for HLA typing.
• If the final cord blood cell count is low (for transplant use) at the time of banking, the family is informed and are given the option not to store it and receive a full refund on processing and storage.

Storage Method

• ViaCord is the only family bank to store stem cells from both cord blood and cord tissue in a 5-compartment bag
• The 5-compartment bag gives families more options and greater flexibility to use as much or as little of their stem cell unit as they need for treatment.
• After the stem cells are transferred to a 5-compartment bag, they are stored in the vapor phase of cryogenic nitrogen.

Licensing & Accreditation

See their accreditations here: ViaCord’s list of licenses and accreditations for processing and storing both cord blood and tissue stem cells reflects their commitment to quality. They are:

• FDA registered
• CLIA certified
• AABB Accredited (Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies)
• Licensed to operate in those states that require licensing: CA, MD, IL, KY, NJ, NY.

Clinical Experience

• Over 500 ViaCord families have used their cord blood for transplant or regenerative medicine research.
• ViaCord families have participated in ground-breaking regenerative medicine clinical trials at Duke University assessing the use of cord blood to treat conditions including Autism and Cerebral Palsy.

Insurance

The ViaCord Quality Product Guarantee states that if your child’s cord blood stem cells fail to engraft during a transplant, we will pay $35,000 to defray the cost of procuring an alternative stem cell source as determined by your doctor.

Community Service

ViaCord’s Sibling Connection Program provides high-quality cord blood collection, processing, and lifetime storage at no cost for eligible families. Expecting parents who have a child with an established diagnosis that is currently treatable with a sibling cord blood transplant may be eligible for this program.

Prices

Prices are subject to change. For current rates, offers, terms and conditions, please call ViaCord at 877-856-4811 or visit viacord.com.

Current Pricing for Cord Blood Banking:
First year: $895
Annual storage starting 2nd year: $185
Option of 6 monthly payments: $159.17/mo
Option of 12 monthly payments: $84.59/mo

Current Pricing for Cord Blood and Cord Tissue Banking:
First year: $1695
Annual storage starting 2nd year: $370
Option of 6 monthly payments: $292.50/mo
Option of 12 monthly payments: $151.25/mo

Additional notes about ViaCord prices:

• No payment is due until delivery.
• Annual cord blood storage fees are guaranteed not to change for 5 years.
• Save on annual storage fees by paying the first 20 or 25 years in advance.
• Families that pay storage fees in advance will be reimbursed for the unused amount if the family retrieves the unit for transplant - for example, if a family prepays for 25 years of storage, but retrieves the unit for use after 5 years, they will be reimbursed for 20 years of prepaid storage fees.

Additional Services

Newborn DNA Guardian

Families interested in storing cord blood and tissue stem cells with ViaCord have the option to preserve a sample of their newborn’s DNA found in the umbilical cord cells for future genomic testing. The DNA in the birth tissue has not yet been exposed to biological and environmental factors that can impact it later in life. By preserving this pristine DNA sample, it can be used later for Genomic Testing and potentially other types of testing where newborn DNA is deemed an optimal source for clinical evaluation. Learn more here.

Genomic Testing

Genomic testing can provide families with powerful insights so they can make informed decisions related to their health. ViaCord offers testing options for newborns, for children, and for adults - so families have the information they need to plan for their future health.

Disclaimer: Banking cord blood does not guarantee that treatment will work, and only a doctor can determine when it can be used. All content and information provided is for informational purposes only. For more details and reference, visit viacord.com/references