Category Archives: California

California, Cord Blood News

Development of Harvesting Cord Blood Stem Cells

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Phil Coelho is not a new person in the business world anymore. As the president and founder of SynGen Inc. five years ago (a company that regenerates cures by the use of innovative engineering), he proudly announced that the company received $5 million from a venture capital firm (Bay City Capital, LLC) in San Francisco to support the harvesting phase of cord blood stem cells.

The immediate goal of SynGen is to spread the availability of SynGen-1000  to cord blood banks. SynGen-1000 is a type of device used for the separation and storage of cord blood stem cells after it’s harvest from a newborn.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Bay City Capital to maximize SynGen’s potential. Their expansive knowledge of the global life science field and vast networking capability combined with a strong reputation as a top tier venture capital firm made our decision easy. During the due diligence process, BCC had already begun facilitating business relationships important for our accelerated growth and market expansion.”

The proceedings for the approval process through Food & Drug Administration is still on-going.

“We expect to file for 510(k) clearance with the FDA and to achieve CE marking for the SynGen-1000 in the near future.  Subsequently, our advanced designs target emerging markets including stem cell research centers, hospitals practicing cell therapy in surgical suites and stem cell clinical trials.”

Dr. William Garber is an investment partner at Bay City Capital (BCC) said, “”We expect SynGen’s products will play a significant role in enabling clinical research and expanding the medical applications of regenerative medicine. Phil Coelho is an established innovator in the field of cord blood stem cell isolation and purification, and we are excited about expanding SynGen’s product line to address novel applications for adult stem cell therapies.”

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It’s confirmed cord blood stem cells can cure malignant diseases such as cancers (Acute Leukemia, Chronic Leukemia, Hodgkin & Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Myelodysplastic Syndrome), blood disorders, immune disorders, metabolic disorders, brain injury. cerebral palsy, type-1 diabetes and hearing loss. To search for cord blood banks, use BloodBanker – The largest online directory of blood, plasma and cord banks!

Source: The Sacramento Bee

California, Cord Blood News

Newborn Possibilities Program: How to Qualify?

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Cord Blood Registry, the world’s largest stem cell bank located at San Bruno California, introduces its newest program that encourages more couples to bank with them. The program is called Newborn Possibilities Program. This type of program does not only provide treatment option for family members with malignant diseases. It also aims to enroll children in clinical trials in which their own stem cells are used to give cure to their condition.

That means if your son or daughter is diagnosed with any life-threatening diseases such as brain injury or cerebral palsy, there is a chance for them to recover without paying a dime for their surgery. However, this program is only open for limited families. Only those families with sick member can join. Parents are also allowed to join the program once their baby is prenatally diagnosed with illness that requires stem cell transplant.

Since the inception of the program, Cord Blood Registry stored more than four hundred thousand units while its 3,000 associated physicians are expected to collect a specific number of units too.

Searching for a cord blood bank? Use BloodBanker – The largest blood, plasma and cord blood directory online!

California, Cord Blood News

Banking Cord Blood: “It’s like having a safe-deposit box”

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Steve Grant is a NYC native who is also the executive president and co-founder of Cord Blood Registry (CBR) in San Bruno, California. He and his wife, Wendy, have four children and all their cord are stored in the bank.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide for instances that nobody can predict,” he said. “It’s like having a safe-deposit box.”

This statement has been agreed by CBR’s spokeswoman – Kathy Engle. Engle knows the hardships of storing over 375,000 samples of cord blood. The responsibility is big, she admits, and the expectations are high. As the largest facility in the world, the company wishes to convince more moms to trust them in the preservation of their newborn’s cord blood.

CBR is fully-aware that banking cord blood is expensive. There’s a one-time fee of $2,665 for storage and its annual storage fee cost $250. The first few months will be the adjustment period and the hardest. However, one can realize the real benefits of storing when one has learned that stem cells in cord blood is a good replacement for bone marrow in a transplant. The stem cells cure life-threatening diseases like cancers, diabetes and cerebral palsy.

California, Cord Blood News

How to Choose a Private Cord Blood Bank

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The decision to bank a cord blood is a big risk. Just this summer, Crystal Prince wondered why BioBancUSA (a cord blood bank in Monterrey California) was not answering her phone calls and e-mails. She was very worried and no one to turn to but to ask for help from the media.

Crystal along with an investigative reporter from KTVT traveled 1600 miles just to get to Monterrey. Arriving at the place, they just found out all their assumptions were true. The place was abandoned and there was nothing in there but a sign taken down from a wall.

Robert Hayner is the owner of BioBancUSA and it is confirmed he filed for bankruptcy early this year and owes a total of $10 million. The cord blood bank has failed to monitor its samples since then but still asking for fees to their subscribers. The Department of Health also admitted the company operated without a medical director since October this year. Even the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) had not checked BioBancUSA for two years. Right before the filing for bankruptcy, the FDA already shut down at least two cord blood banks.

Crystal got emotional and said. “I’m very angry for the fact that somebody might have just taken something that could save my daughter’s life but what will hurt me the worst is losing my child because somebody might have been too careless.”

Crystal’s story must serve as a guide to every pregnant mom out there. Researching for a cord blood bank is your first priority before deciding to store. A cord blood bank must be certified and its storage facilities are regularly updated and well-maintained. If possible, the company must offer stem cell therapy. If this option is not offered, the company does not provide enough for the price their clients pay.

Lastly, the company must be tied with a big hospital to ensure the cord blood cells are immediately delivered in the cord blood bank.

California

The Cord Blood Registry

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What is Cord Blood Registry?

The Cord Blood Registry (CBR) is the first bank in the USA that provides opportunity to save a baby’s cord blood and its tissues. This family bank is also considered as the largest and leading innovator of preserving cord blood stem cells since 1992. Its main headquarters is located in San Bruno, California and its laboratory is affiliated with University of Arizona in Tucson. The laboratory is headed by Dr. David T. Harris (expert in stem cell processing) and he also serves as the bank’s scientific director. CBR’s director of corporate communication is Kathy Engle and she can be reached through (650) 635-1420.

Cord Blood Registry is one of the most-visited websites online. As of this writing, its homepage has a pagerank of six. The entire website also contains essential information as to why parents shall bank cord blood and why select CBR. The site provides an automatic calculator allowing every visitor to compute their payment plan best for their budget.

Wondering how Cord Blood Registry operates, watch this video entitled Inside CBR
California, category

San Francisco Centers

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SF Bay Area Cord Blood Registry
Filed under San Francisco Centers

Cord Blood Registry specializes only in the collection, processing, storage, and retrieval of cord blood stem cells. Their AABB-accredited laboratory in Tucson has been processing cord blood since 1992. CBR provides the highest quality and most conscientious service. Banking a baby’s cord blood stem cells gives more control over a family’s future health.

Cord Blood Registry
1200 Bayhill Drive, Suite 301
San Bruno, California 94066
888-932-6568
International callers:  (650) 635-1420
fax 800-844-2202

Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute

Several world class research hospitals in the San Francisco area participate in cord blood donor programs. Private companies are also available for those parents who wish to insure access to their child’s own cord blood. Expectant parents should consult their physicians, the hospital resources as well as community resources to fully educate themselves on this topic.

The Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute Sibling Donor Cord Blood Program is a national program designed to provide a unique treatment option to families with children suffering from leukemia, lymphoma, other cancers, sickle cell disease, thalassemia or other transplant treatable diseases.

When a family with a child who might benefit from a cord blood transplant is expecting another child, the program facilitates collection of the baby’s umbilical cord blood at the time of delivery.

After collection, the blood is transported to their stem cell bank where it is analyzed and stored. If the cord blood unit is needed for transplantation in the affected sibling, the program transports the unit to the transplant center for use.

Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute
5700 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland, California 94609
Phone 510-450-7600
Fax 510-450-7910

California

San Diego Centers

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San Diego is a tremendously diverse area. With several large military bases and a collection of internationally know research hospitals, San Diego can also parley its proximity to Los Angeles into a wide network of cord blood donation centers. The San Diego Blood Bank is the largest of all the cord blood donation centers. Parents wanting to privately store their child’s cord blood should consult with their OB and the delivering hospital.

Ashley Ross Cord Blood Program of the San Diego Blood Bank

In December 1950, the San Diego Blood Bank was established through the support of the San Diego County Medical Society. Throughout the years, the San Diego Blood Bank has stayed in the forefront of transfusion medicine, added donor centers and bloodmobiles to cover all of the region’s neighborhoods, diversified the blood bank’s donor base and formed lasting partnerships with organizations from all over the San Diego community.

An independent blood center serving some 50 hospitals in the Southern California Region, the San Diego Blood Bank is a member of America’s Blood Centers, the American Association of Blood Banks, and the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce.

SAN DIEGO BLOOD BANK
440 Upas St.
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 296-6393