Stem Cell Cryobank

Stem Cell Cryobank provides services for stem cell banking from both newborn cord blood and adult peripheral blood. It is located in Boynton Beach, Florida, and is affiliated with the South Florida Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Institute, DBA Maharaj Institute of Immune Regenerative Medicine. Stem Cell Cryobank is accredited by AABB for storage of stem cells from both newborns and adults.

Labs and Locations

The Stem Cell Cryobank possesses an on-site laboratory and is a part of South Florida Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Institute, DBA Maharaj Institute of Immune Regenerative Medicine (Facility) located in Boynton Beach, Florida. The facility is near two international airports, allowing for rapid delivery of stem cell collections to and from the lab. The facility is FDA registered, and AABB accredited for screening, donor testing, packaging, processing, storing, labeling, and distributing Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells [HPC]. These are the active stem cells in both newborn cord blood and the peripheral blood of adults.

Business Experience

The medical director of Stem Cell Cryobank, Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj, is a leading stem cell transplant physician with over thirty years of clinical and laboratory experience. In 2003, Dr. Maharaj was preparing to welcome a new member into his extended family. Like any parent or relative, Dr. Maharaj wanted his lineage to have access to exceptional preventative healthcare. This desire led him to utilize his advanced expertise in aiding an array of potential future health complications that other families may face. Almost two decades later, Stem Cell Cryobank continues to process and store newborn cord blood, as well as peripheral blood stem cells collected from adults age 18 years and over, for later use. This practice has proven to be an invaluable weapon against complications that the individual could one day face in the future.

Dr. Maharaj has long been an innovator in the utilization of one’s own stem cells. During his time in Scotland, he was a part of the pioneering group which developed stem cell (HPC) transplants for leukemia patients. These efforts have made unpurged (whole and unselected) HPC stem cell transplant a standard of care today.

“Each year thousands of patients undergo HPC stem cell transplantation, and the indications are increasing as immunotherapy using specific subsets of cells contained within the HPC product become approved. It is therefore recommended that each adult collect and store their peripheral adult stem cells (HPC) for future use.” – Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj

“One of the most important decisions that a parent can make for a child is the ability to bank their cord blood and tissue for the future. Cord Blood and tissue has proven to be a powerful weapon in the fight against many major diseases and holds the potential to do so much more.” – Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj

For the last three decades, Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj has guided patients and their families through the vast and various trials accompanied by major illness. He understands the vital importance of proper and effective cord blood and adult peripheral blood stem cell collection and processing techniques. A commitment to quality health today can save a life tomorrow. It is this certainty that has guided Dr. Maharaj to become the founder of the Stem Cell Cryobank.

Collection Kit

The newborn cord blood collection kit includes a Fenwal Blood-Pack Unit with anticoagulant Citrate Phosphate Dextrose Solution, USP (CPD) (approved by the FDA) and a bubble envelope that contains the cord blood unit after collection. Six test tubes for maternal blood collection, used for infectious disease testing, are included. The kit contains a data logger device to ensure that the temperature of the cord blood is maintained within the appropriate temperature range during shipment. The kit contains forms to be completed by caregivers, as well as instructions for caregivers. The kit also includes instructions for shipping, instructions for couriers, and instructions for parents.

Shipping Info

Once the newborn cord blood is collected by the hospital and is ready to be picked up, we dispatch a courier who picks up the collected cord blood from the hospital and delivers it to us. If the collected cord blood is out of reach of a courier, we have a procedure in place to utilize FedEx’s services to ship it to us.

Processing Method

We process whole blood through an FDA and AABB approved method. We then freeze the product using a planer control rate freezer that slowly freezes the product, using nitrogen gas, in a specialized method that ensures maximum cell viability.

Components Stored

Parents are provided with a certificate describing test results (cell counts, viability) of their newborn’s umbilical cord blood. We store:

2 cryogenic vials of plasma (2mL)
2 vials of RBC
2 vials of the final product
24mL bag of stem cells (final product).

Storage Method

Final storage is in HPC freezing collection bags that are placed in a cassette, and then moved to a designated long term storage freezer. The product is first placed into a temporary quarantine freezer, and then moved to a designated long term storage freezer. The freezers use vapor phase nitrogen to ensure maximum viability and protection. The cryopreserved HPC stem cells are monitored 24/7 to ensure that they are kept in optimal conditions.

Licensing & Accreditation

FDA registered
Accredited for newborn cord blood (HPC) banking and adult (HPC) banking by AABB
AABB accreditation covers Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells (HPC) – collection, processing, storage.
AABB accreditation covers Cord blood – processing, storage, distribution.

Clinical Experience

Throughout the entirety of his medical career, Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj has tirelessly dedicated himself towards saving patients’ lives in the fight against disease. From his early pioneering years in the bone marrow transplant program in Scotland, to leading nationally recognized bone marrow stem cell transplant programs in the United States, Dr. Maharaj has never lost sight of the importance of family and health. It is this perpetual focus that serves as the driving force behind his medical practices.

Community Service

Firefighters are at risk of cancers. As a service to the community the cord blood of the firefighter’s newborn, as well as the adult firefighters collect and store their peripheral blood stem cells (HPC) at Stem Cell Cryobank.