News

Jul 2022   Cord blood stored in Kyiv, Ukraine, is safe and the banks are operating.

Jun 2022   This May, Future Health celebrated its 20th anniversary. Starting from a small biotech lab, they have grown to encompass six subsidiaries in Europe and a global reach of 94 countries. In 2022, Future Health is set to open a new biobanking storage facility in Nottingham to meet increasing demand. The new facility will include green technologies as part of the Future Health commitment to our environment and sustainability.

Jun 2022   Kinetic Stem Cell Counting is the first technology that can directly count stem cells. It is based on the unique property of stem cells, that they are capable of asymmetric self-renewal. This makes it possible to run a computer simulation of a growing culture that determines the number of stem cells present. Once validated for a specified combination of cell type and culture conditions, Kinetic Stem Cell Counting provides a stem cell count after only 3 DAYS of cell culture. 

May 2022   StemCellCare is an insurance policy that pays parents a lump sum in the event that they need to use their baby's cord blood for the child that banked or a full sibling of that child. StemCellCare is only available through partner cord blood banks. The partner banks can either purchase group cover for their customers or offer access to StemCellCare insurance on a voluntary basis. 

May 2022   In pursuit of cell therapy for their children, more parents are traveling to Mexico. Regenerative medicine treatments are legal in Mexico, but not all providers are following the existing laws. When evaluating "stem cell" clinics in Mexico, parents should look carefully at things like their licensing, where they get their cells, will you be treated by a medical doctor, is the procedure performed in a medical facility?

Apr 2022   One of the variations between different MSC therapeutics is hemocompatibility: the risk that a high dose MSC infusion will trigger a blood clot. There is increasing risk of thromboembolism with MSC infusions as the MSC source goes from bone marrow, to perinatal tissue, to adipose tissue. Research shows that the risk can be quantified by testing the MSCs for their expression of procoagulant tissue factor (TF/CD142). It is also important to raise awareness of this risk factor so that both patients and their caregivers will recognize the symptoms of thromboembolism and seek appropriate medical care.

Mar 2022   Stoke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In this case report from StemCyte, a stroke patient recovered after an infusion of matched cord blood on the 8th day after the stroke. The patient had been paralyzed on one side of his body, but he made a complete recovery and returned to independent living.

Mar 2022   A woman in New York was cured of HIV after receiving a transplant of cord blood that carried a genetic mutation for resistance to HIV. This is a medical breakthrough, but only those patients that have both HIV plus a blood cancer like leukemia or lymphoma will be candidates for this promising therapy. 

Feb 2022   Brodie was one of the first children in Australia to receive sibling cord blood as treatment for cerebral palsy. After receiving an infusion of cord blood cells from his baby sister Zoey, Brodie showed notable improvements in his motor skills.  

Feb 2022   Many cord blood banks have charitable programs that offer free or discounted cord blood banking to families that have a medical condition which is eligible for therapy with cord blood. Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood has a web page that summarizes help for families in need.