If you are interested in storing your child’s cord blood, it’s important that you understand how each stage of cord blood banking works. The processing method of cord blood is particularly important as it can affect how many viable stem cells are collected from your child’s cord blood.
Despite the importance of processing, many cord blood banks don’t share much detail about the processing stage and which techniques they use. To help you learn more, this guide will explain how cord blood processing works and why it matters.
What Is Cord Blood Processing?
Cord blood processing involves the extraction of stem cells and other valuable components from cord blood. The goal of processing is to extract the maximum amount of viable cells from each sample.
Obtaining the maximum number of stem cells is critical because having more cells can improve the success rate of certain procedures.
There are several processing technologies available for cord blood processing. The type of technology used can have an impact on the number of viable stem cells that can be obtained from a sample.
Why The Processing Method Of Cord Blood Matters
A raft of stem cell research discoveries and advancements in medical technology have occurred over the past 20 years. These exciting improvements will mean that your children will lead much longer and healthier lives.
Researchers expect stem cell treatments to become extremely common in the future. They estimate that as many as one in three Americans alive today will benefit from regenerative medicine during their lifetime for conditions like arthritis, type 1 diabetes and more. In fact, it is very likely that your child will have several stem cell treatments during their lifetime.
Parents who are aware of the therapeutic value of stem cells have been early adopters of umbilical cord blood banking. They have been quick to take action as they have realised how valuable their child’s stem cells may be in the future.
However, for stem cell banking to be worthwhile, a large amount of viable stem cells must be extracted from each sample. This is why cord blood processing is so important.
While most cord blood banks will offer clients a single option for cord blood processing, Cells4Life offers two options: AutoXpress (AXP) and TotiCyte. Here is a little more information about how each process works. For a more general overview, you can also watch this informative video.
AutoXpress (AXP)
AutoXpress (AXP) is a fully automated cord blood processing technology that is only available at Cells4Life. Because the process is automated, there is a greatly reduced risk of sample contamination. The reliability of the process is also significantly improved.
AXP has been the cord blood processing technology of choice for the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) services for many years. The efficiency of using this type of system has helped the NHS supply stem cell services throughout the United Kingdom. It is also a popular option amongst cell banks in the United States.
Cells4Life is the only private blood bank using AXP in the United Kingdom. We use it to power our Cells (Volume-Reduced) service, which is second only to the CellsPlus service, in terms of viable cell recovery. AXP has been found to recover an average of 96% of viable cells per sample, which is well above the 81% recovery obtained by using other methods.
This short video explains the difference between AXP (volume reduction) and TotiCyte.
TotiCyte
TotiCyte is an exciting new technology that was developed by Cells4Life in 2017. It has transformed the field of cord blood processing, delivering 100%-400% improved stem cell recoveries compared to the industry standard, AXP.
Not only does TotiCyte maximise cell count, it also improves blood type compatibility. This is particularly important when a stem cell sample is being used to treat a sibling or other family member.
Another benefit of using TotiCyte, is that additional cell types are preserved compared to other processing technologies. Many of these additional cell types are the subject of ongoing research projects and may extremely valuable in the future.
The incredible efficiency of the TotiCyte process means that very small cord blood samples can provide enough viable stem cells for a stem cell treatment.
TotiCyte is a 4 step process:
- The red blood cells are turned into a sediment, which leaves the stem cells and all other cell types, suspended in plasma.
- The plasma and stem cells are extracted into a new processing bag, leaving 99.3% of the red blood cells behind.
- The plasma and stem cells are centrifuged very gently, which causes a layer of stem cells to form at the bottom of the plasma.
- The excess plasma is removed leaving 25ml stem cell sample, which can be divided into multiple units prior to storage.
To learn more about CellsPlus and how the TotiCyte processing technology works, watch this video:
References:
https://blog.medcells.ae/blog/the-advantages-of-whole-cord-blood-stem-cell-storage
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bone-marrow-transplant/in-depth/stem-cells/art-20048117
https://www.aabb.org/news-resources/resources/cellular-therapies/facts-about-cellular-therapies/regenerative-medicine
https://cells4life.com/cells4life-difference/cord-blood-processing/
https://www.medcells.ae/services/gold-service/
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