Family Bank: Cord For Life

About

Cord For Life is a fully accredited NMDP-member public cord blood bank that brings the same level of expertise and oversight to their family banking service. They have been banking cord blood since 1995.

Labs and Locations

The laboratory is located at the bank headquarters. Cord for Life utilizes premium collection bags, fully validated shipping kits, and their PremierMaxCB processing method to ensure a high quality stem cell product stored for your potential use. 

Business Experience

This bank was founded in 1993 and has been collecting cord blood for public and private banking since 1995. The bank has collected over 28,000 donations and stored over 18,500 cord blood units for their public bank. As of Mar. 2018 the private bank has inventory of 3,000 cord blood units stored for families. Client service staff are available to answer phone calls M-F 8-5 ET and an 24hr messaging service for emergencies.

Collection Kit

Cord for Life collection utilizes the Pall brand (CPD anticoagulant) cord blood collection bag, which is sterilize both inside and outside for C-section collections. The collection kit contains all materials for collection and shipping.

Transportation container

The Cord for Life kit contains gel packs and thermal insulation and has been validated to maintain room temperature when properly packaged for greater than 48 hrs at external temperatures ranging from 30-110F.  The kit may contain an internal data logger as part of our random continued validation process.

Shipping Info

Parents call Cord for Life following the delivery of their baby and collection of the cord blood. Cord for Life staff will arrange for the courier pick up at the hospital.  Contract price includes standard FedEx shipping, available M-F.  For deliveries on weekends and holidays, a special medical courier is necessary and client will be billed up to $300 for service (not to exceed actual cost). Shipping from non-US clients is determined on case-by-case basis.

Processing Method

Cord for Life processes cord blood with our exclusive premium PremierMaxCB process that features PrepaCyte-CB and CryoStor CS10 along with individual unit post-thaw QC.  This process removes excess plasma and 99% of red cells, leaving a concentrated cellular product (buffy coat).

Components Stored

Cord for Life stores stem cells in a total 25mL volume sectioned in one 80%/20% split bag with 3-5 attached segments.  Cord blood plasma samples, cord blood cell samples, and maternal serum and plasma samples are also stored for potential testing.  Parents are provided a card describing test results and an ID number.

Storage Method

Final storage is in 80%/20% (20ml/5mL) bags, overwrapped, inside an aluminum cassette in the vapor phase of cryogenic nitrogen.

Licensing & Accreditation

Cord for Life is accredited by AABB, and licensed in the States of CA, DE, MD, IL, NJ and NY.

Clinical Experience

Cord for Life has released 5 family units for autologous therapy. Cord for Life also collects cord blood donations for their public bank, and has released 115 of them for transplant.

Community Service

Cord for Life has an Imminent Need charity program for families expecting transplantation within 1 year.

Prices

Total cost = $1999.00 which includes the collection kit, standard shipping and processing, and 1st yr storage: NO HIDDEN FEES.
Annual storage fee = $150; multi-year discounts available.