Family Bank: Anja Health

About

"I created Anja because my brother’s last chance at treatment for cerebral palsy was umbilical cord blood and we couldn’t find a match because we’re mixed race." -Anja Health Founder, Kathryn Cross

Anja Health is a health and technology company providing umbilical cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta banking, being one of the few companies in the world to do so. Their focus is to bring a contemporary lens to cord blood banking

Labs and Locations

Anja Health is based in Los Angeles with a contracted laboratory partner based in New Jersey. Anja Health Account Specialists are available at any time and date via text, call, or email at 310.620.1663 and hello@anjahealth.com. Anja guarantees a response within 12 hours.

Business Experience

Anja Health was founded by Kathryn Cross, who has experience in marketing and was motivated by her personal background to improve the penetration of cord blood banking among Gen-Z parents. Kathryn's brother Andrew had cerebral palsy from a young age, and as a result, Kathryn’s family became familiar with the cord blood space as they searched for a matching donor to provide him with cord blood therapy. They unfortunately couldn’t find one, but that journey inspired the foundation of Anja Health. In May 2022, Anja Health raised $4.5million in seed funding. Anja is supported by advisors with a medical and pharmaceutical background.

Collection Kit

Anja Health’s collection kit contains all of the materials necessary for collection of cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta.  Parents can reserve a kit at AnjaHealth.com/shop/#pricing, but if they do not end up using it, they can return it for a refund. The collection kit is supplied with a FDA-approved Pall blood bag with CPD anti-coagulant. The collection kit is sterile inside & outside for C-section use.

Transportation container

Anja Health’s container contains thermal insulation and gel packs in order to maintain room temperature even in warm and cold weather conditions.

Shipping Info

Parents banking with Anja have a one-stop shop shipping process: they simply have to call Anja’s pickup team (which is listed on Anja’s collection instructions), and they will arrive within approximately 12 hours or less to transport the kit to the Anja lab.  Anja’s standard pricing includes shipping and will not cause clients to incur any extra charges – regardless of pickup location.  Anja’s courier is available on weekdays and holidays and maintains a secure chain-of-custody.

Processing Method

The laboratory manually processes cord blood stem cells according to the “Rubinstein method” with Hespan.  The entire process is performed in a closed system that limits the possibility of contamination.

Components Stored

Within 1 month after their baby's birth, parents are provided with a stem cell certificate that includes information surrounding their collection.  Processed stem cells are stored in a Pall 25 mL dual compartmented cryo bag with 3 integrally attached segments plus a separate 2 mL cryogenic vial in case of future HLA typing.

Storage Method

Anja Health stores cord blood stem cells in specialized cryo-bags. Storage bags are wrapped and placed in a quarantine freezer until they pass infectious disease testing, after which they are consequently moved to a long-term freezer. Freezers utilize the vapor phase of cryogenic nitrogen, ensuring a sterile cryopreserved environment.

Licensing & Accreditation

Anja Health uses only FDA-approved and AABB-accredited collection resources and partners.

Prices

The collection kit costs $199. The price for processing and 20 years of storage is spread out over 8 years of affordable monthly payments. Clients also have the option to pay upfront for a 10% discount.

• Cord Blood: $49/month
• Cord Blood & Cord Tissue: $79/month
• Cord Blood, Cord Tissue, and Placenta: $99/month