You are here

CellSave Arabia - Kuwait

CellSave Arabia

About

Parent bank: CellSave Arabia

CellSave Arabia, the first private stem cell laboratory in the GCC region, was officially launched on September 11, 2006, by the UAE Minister of Health. CellSave Arabia is part of CSG-BIO Group, one of the largest stem cell providers in the world with over 650,000 samples stored. 

Business Experience

CellSave Arabia’s laboratory was launched in 2006, and has processed and stored cord blood, cord tissue and placenta from over 30,000 families in the region. They have helped 21 families use their cord blood stem cells for established and experimental medical treatments, more than any other family stem cell bank in the region.

CellSave Arabia offers complimentary information sessions with their Clinical Educators 7 days a week to respond to parent inquiries and help parents make informed decisions about newborn stem cell storage. Enrolled clients have access to a 24-hour emergency toll free line.

Collection Kit

CellSave Arabia’s 4-in-1 collection kit is a unique kit that provides the necessary materials for the collection of cord blood, cord tissue, cord vessel, placental tissue and amnion placental tissue. It is both temperature-protected and temperature-monitored, and is electronically tracked during the transportation to ensure the integrity of the samples as well as to safely and easily collect the maximum amount of stem cells following birth.

The cord blood collection bag provided in the kit contains CPD, an FDA approved anti-coagulant which is heparin-free, and is packed in individual aluminum sterile packaging in order to be used for both C-Sections as well as normal births. Each bag has two needles for increased safety and quality control.

Transportation Container

CellSave Arabia’s collection kit includes thermal foam insulation and gel packs that control temperature during transportation to the laboratory. The collections kits have been design and validated to shield the samples from extreme temperatures. Samples remain at room temperature and are transported directly to the Dubai laboratory for processing. The kits are temperature-protected and temperature-monitored, and are electronically tracked during the transportation to ensure the integrity of the samples.

Shipping Info

Following the collection, the labor and delivery staff will return the collection kit to a designated family member who will call CellSave Arabia to request pick-up of the kit from the hospital room. CellSave Arabia arranges for the transportation from the hospital room to the Dubai laboratory with our own trained and dedicated Collection Specialists (within the UAE). For deliveries outside the UAE, CellSave Arabia pre-arranges a courier service that is approved and certified for medical samples, to pick-up the kit from the parent’s hospital room.

The collection kit is pre-labeled and includes a pre-paid AWB. An electronic tracking program ensures the kit is tracked from the time it leaves the mother’s bedside to its arrival at the laboratory. CellSave’s base price includes all shipping changes. The courier is available on weekends and holidays and maintains a secure chain-of-custody

Processing Method

CellSave Arabia uses the state-of-the-art Sepax II automated laboratory processing system to process cord blood and ensure maximum stem cell recovery.  This method retrieves the greatest number of stem cells from the cord blood sample, resulting in up to a 99% recovery rate, one of the highest in the industry.

The Sepax technology has processed more units subsequently used in transplantation than any other technology. It is functionally closed and single-use, which provides the greatest chance that the cord blood will be sterile and not get contaminated during processing. This technology is used by many of the world’s leading public cord blood banks. 

Components Stored

CellSave Arabia’s cord blood processing results in a red-cell reduced stem cell product, the industry gold standard. The "buffy coat" fraction of the blood containing white cells and stem cells is stored. Red blood cells and plasma are stored separately for future testing.

  • CryoPlus option includes both the cord blood and cord tissue, which is stored in 8 units including integrally attached segments.
  • CryoAdvanced option stores the cord blood, cord tissue and placental tissue, which is stored in 10 separate units including integrally attached segments.
  • CryoUltimate option stores the cord blood, cord tissue, placental tissue, amnion placental tissue and cord vessel, which is stored in 12 units including integrally attached segments.

Parents are provided with the sample test results (including maternal infectious disease test results, TNC count, MNC count, and CD34+/CD45+ count) and also a Certificate of Storage.

Storage Method

CellSave Arabia stores cord blood units in a cryobag with two compartments (80% of the unit is in one section and 20% of the unit is in the second section) in two different geographical locations. The storage location options include UAE, USA, Netherlands and Switzerland. CellSave Arabia also stores three integrally attached segments with each bag that can be used for testing or future expansion technologies. A family may utilize one portion of the unit and continue to cryopreserve the other.

Prior to storage, each cryobag is placed in a second overwrap bag, which is sealed as an extra precaution against possible cross contamination. Each cord blood bag is placed in an aluminum outer storage canister for enhanced mechanical protection and effective long-term protection.  Each canister has unique bar-coded identification labels.

CrellSave Arabia stores the stem cells in biovaults, called dewars, specially designed for long-term cryostorage. The cord blood units are suspended above a pool of liquid nitrogen that creates a vapor-phase environment without immersing them in liquid, which can enable cross-contamination. The dewars are capable of operating without electricity and there is 24/7 recording of storage condition parameters. The cord blood and tissue cells are cryogenically stored in separate dewars, in different storage locations, as an added security measure and as recognition that they may have separate medical indications for use.

Licensing & Accreditation

CellSave Arabia maintains standards for cellular therapy services through:

  • AABB Accreditation
  • FDA Registration
  • MOH Certification
  • Dubai Healthcare City Authority Clinical Operating Permit for Stem Cell Processing and Stem Cell Storage
  • Maryland Tissue Permit (US)

Clinical Experience

CellSave is operated by internationally renowned medical and scientific professionals. They are guided by world-class scientific expertise and medical ethics in all their processes from education to processing, testing and storage. CellSave has extensive experience in clinical laboratory management, stem cell technology and development.

CellSave has released 21 cord blood units for therapy globally, including 2 from UAE. Therapies include:

  • Cerebral Palsy (autologous)
  • Medulloblastoma (autologous)
  • Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (autologous)
  • Aplastic Anemia
  • Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
  • Congenital immunodeficiency (brother)
  • Blackfan-Diamond Anemia
  • Thalassemia Major (includes UAE case)
  • Sickle Cell Anemia

Guarantees

Parents will receive a full refund of all fees if the cord blood is released for therapy within the first 3 years. Parents will also receive a Transplant Assistance cash-back service worth 15,000 AED if the cord blood unit is released for any therapy within the first 3 years. In addition CellSave holds a Certificate of Product Liability from AON Insurance worldwide.

Community Service

CellSave Arabia offers its Cost-Free Family Donation Program, free of charge, to families wishing to store their newborn's umbilical cord blood stem cells for a family member diagnosed with a life-threatening disease currently treatable by stem cells. This program is specifically designed to offer families in need the opportunity to have the cord blood stem cells of their expected newborn child collected and saved without any charges, aiming to treat a diseased first line relative in the near future.  
     
In order to qualify, the family member must be diagnosed with a disease that is currently treatable with umbilical cord blood stem cells, be a first-degree blood relative, and have an oncologist/haematologist who agrees that the stem cells can be used for treatment. If eligible, CellSave Arabia will provide the collection kit and process and store the newborn's cord blood sample, until needed, without any cost to the family.

Prices

When saving your child’s stem cells with CellSave Arabia there are no hidden costs, like annual fees or extra charges for the standard testing of the samples. CellSave Arabia stands for high quality and service at a fair price. Their premium stem cell banking services all feature packages with a comprehensive list of standard benefits along with personalized care every step of the way, to give complete peace of mind.

  • CryoPlus - this package is a great basic protection for the child and includes cord blood and cord tissue storage. It is priced at 18,500 AED or monthly interest free installments that suit every family needs.
  • CryoAdvanced - this package includes cord blood, cord tissue storage and placental tissue. It is priced at 19,500 AED or monthly interest free installments.
  • CryoUltimate - this package includes additional sources of stem cells from the cord vessel and amnion placental tissue. It is priced at 22,500 AED or monthly interest free installments.
  • Please visit https://cellsave.ae/services-and-pricing/

The total fee includes the administration, collection kit, courier/transport, processing, testing (CD34+/CD45+ stem cell count, TNC count, MNC count, Viability, and full sterility testing), and dual storage during the initial storage period of 30 years in dual locations. It also includes the Maternal Blood Sample testing by the PCR method.

Should the stem cells be needed for therapy, the standard fee includes transport to any transplant facility in the world. In addition, it includes same day critical time processing (UAE only), 24-hour sample collection, transplant assistance and a quality service guarantee.

Additional Services

All CellSave Arabia packages include cord tissue storage. Cord tissue banking allows families to collect and preserve a segment of the umbilical cord, which is a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a type of stem cell that assists in building bone, cartilage and connective tissue as well as mediating the body’s inflammatory response to damaged or injured cells.

Starting in 2017, CellSave Arabia was the first laboratory in the region to offer the next generation of stem cell banking services with Placental Tissue storage which is included in the CryoAdvanced package. Today, the CryoUltimate package includes Cord Vessel storage and Amnion Placental tisue storage.

The cord blood and tissue cells are cryogenically stored in separate dewars, in different storage locations, as an added security measure and as recognition that they may have separate medical indications for use.

CellSave Arabia also offers processing and storage of stem cells from the Bone Marrow, Peripheral Blood, and Adipose (Fat) Tissue as a service to private and government hospitals.

Phone:
Address: Block 3, Sharq, Khalid Ibn Al Waleed, Kuwait City, Kuwait
Map