Stem Cell Cord Blood Banking

Private Banks In USA

Alpha Cord Inc.

INTERNET: www.alphacord.com
PHONE: 866-396-7283
OFFICE: Atlanta, GA
STORAGE: Not applicable
COMMENT: Alpha Cord is the only cord blood broker: they guarantee that parents will always pay less by contracting through them, rather than other marketing outlets for the same laboratory. Parents should carefully compare the services provided by different outlets that serve the same laboratory. Currently serving:

• AlphaCord / CA: “California Stem Cell Bank” at Family Cord Blood Services (formerly California Cryobank)
• AlphaCord / IL: “Chicago Stem Cell Bank” at ……..
• AlphaCord / IN: “Indiana Stem Cell Bank” at The Genesis Bank
• AlphaCord / MA: “Massachusetts Stem Cell Bank” at New England Cord Blood Bank
• AlphaCord / NJ: “New Jersey Stem Cell bank” at Community Blood Services

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• AlphaCord / CA: Famiily Cord Blood Services (formerly California Cryobank) processes all cord blood units the same way. AlphaCord customers share freezer space with direct customers of CalCryo. Courier transport is available for an extra fee. Payment plans available. Refund all but $199 within 60 days of birth; no questions asked.
• AlphaCord / IL:
• AlphaCord / IN: The Genesis Bank processes all cord blood units the same way.
• AlphaCord / NJ: Community Blood Services processes all cord blood units the same way. Every marketing outlet which stores at Community Blood Services has a separate freezer. The transplant quota is from the public bank at Community Blood Services. Courier transport is available for an extra fee. Payment plans available. Refund all but $199 within 60 days of birth; no questions asked.

CellMed Biotech

INTERNET: www.cellmedbiotech.com
PHONE: 866-460-2554
OFFICE: Conover, NC
STORAGE: Community Blood Services, Paramus, NJ
SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• Dr. Steven G. Lutz is the chairman and CEO of CellMed, which has offices in Conover, NC.
• Community Blood Services laboratory in Paramus, NJ, handles all cord blood units the same way, except for CorCell clients. Their processing is a two-step method: first a sedimentation stage with the chemical Hespan; then a gentle spin cycle for further cell separation. The final red cell hematocrit is only about 2%.
• Every bank which stores at Community Blood Services has a separate freezer.
• The transplant quota is from the public bank at Community Blood Services.
• CellMed was profiled 2 June 2005 in the Hickory Daily Record, of Hickory, North Carolina.
• Shipping by courier costs $150 extra.
• Processing, courier shipping, and first year storage brings total fee to $1765.

CorCell

INTERNET: www.corcell.com
PHONE: 888-3-CORCELL
OFFICE: Philadelphia, PA
STORAGE: Community Blood Services, Paramus, NJ
COMMENT: Corcell is the oldest and most experienced of the banks which use the Community Blood Services laboratory. Representatives on-call 24/7. Licensed in NJ, NY.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• CorCell is one of the the oldest private cord blood banks in the United States.
• Processing employs the VITA34 patent pending sterile procedure introduced Feb 2006. This procedure exceeds the FDA current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) standards, which are already above the current Good Tissue Practice (cGTP) standards which the FDA requires for cord blood.
• Every bank which stores at Community Blood Services has a separate freezer.
• The transplant quota is from the public bank at Community Blood Services.
• Live customer support is available 24/7; parents or physician can phone during delivery.
• Courier transport is an additional $150.
• Several payment plans are available, extended as long as 60 months.
• Charity Program: Sibling Donor Cord Blood Program launched Feb2004 provides free banking to siblings of children with transplantable diseases.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
CorCell of USA and VITA34 of Germany merged on 14 July 2004, under the holding company VITA 34 International AG. However, on 13 Oct 2006, CorCell was acquired by Cord Blood America, the public company which owns the family cord blood bank Cord Partners. The terms of the acquisition give Cord Blood America immediate ownership of the operating entity and assets of CorCell, plus exclusive rights to purchase their inventory of approximately 12,000 cord blood collections by 31 March 2007. CorCell will retain its operating name. CorCell and Cord Partners both use the processing laboratory of Community Blood Services in Paramus, NJ.

Corcell offers discounts to members of various health insurance plans. Some insurance carriers include a CorCell brochure in their pre-natal package.

Cord Blood Registry

INTERNET: www.cordblood.com
PHONE: 888-CORDBLOOD
OFFICE: San Bruno, CA
STORAGE: Tucson, AZ

COMMENT: CBR is one of the original private cord blood banks, and has the most experience with family transplants. In 2004 CBR acquired a new building next to the Tucson airport with 61,140 sq ft space; their new lab opened on 5 Dec 2005. Licensed in NJ, NY.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• List of CBR transplants.
• Real life stories of transplant patients
• Video center: View collection, processing, transplant, etc.
• Cost includes courier transport with Quick International. Option of syringe or bag collection kit, depending on physician/patient preference (both fully sterile). Live customer support available 24/7; parents or physician can phone during delivery.
• The CBR processing method separates cells with two cycles of centrifuge spinning; this technique is known in the medical literature as “Ficoll-Hypaque” density centrifugation. Stores in multiple Nunc[tm] cryovials.
• No rush fees, but $150 discount for enrollment at least 60 days prior to due date. Payment plans available, starting at $39/month for 60 months. Prepay 18 years for $1725, a savings of $400.
  Client Referral Program awards a year of free storage.
• Substantial discounts to clients with credentials as medical professionals, especially OB/Gyn’s.
• Patient Rebate Program will refund up to $125 directly to clients for collection fees not covered by their insurance.
• Physician incentive of $100 for filling out a survey on collections.
• Collecting physicians are offered liability insurance of $5 million per occurrence and $10 million aggregate.
• Charity program: Designated Transplant Program [TM] (see below), in operation since 1995, applies to any family member with a disease treatable by transplant.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
CBR offers a Designated Transplant Program (DTP) to families where a family member has a disease (either currently ill or in remission) that has been treated with stem cells. If accepted into the program, CBR will provide cord blood banking at no cost to the family, and will try to recoup their expenses from third-party payers and insurance carriers. According to their CEO, Thomas E. Moore, CBR has obtained insurance reimbursement for only a small percentage of the DTP program, which annually covers about 300 families and costs about $2 million. If the cord blood has not been transplanted after four years, the family must assume the cost of storage, or forfeit ownership. Application to the DTP requires a letter of recommendation from a physician (hematologist or oncologist), indicating the transplant need.

Cord Blood Solutions

INTERNET: www.cordbloodsolutions.com
PHONE: 1-866-584-STEM (7836)
OFFICE: Alpharetta, GA
STORAGE: Community Blood Services, Paramus, NJ
SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• Founded by Dr. Alan Einstein, an Internal Medicine/Critical Care physician in Atlanta.
• Community Blood Services laboratory in Paramus, NJ, handles all cord blood units the same way, except for CorCell clients. Their processing is a two-step method: first a sedimentation stage with the chemical Hespan; then a gentle spin cycle for further cell separation. The final red cell hematocrit is only about 2%.
• Every bank which stores at Community Blood Services has a separate freezer.
• The transplant quota is from the public bank at Community Blood Services.
• On weekends, shipping costs an additional $90. First year of storage is included in the processing fee.

Cord Partners, a Cord Blood America Company

INTERNET: www.cordpartners.com
PHONE: 888-882-CORD (2673)
OFFICE: Los Angeles, CA
STORAGE: Community Blood Services, Paramus, NJ
COMMENT: On Friday 28Jan2005, Cord Partners went public as part of the holding company “Cord Blood America”, Nasdaq OTCBB:CBAI. As of 6Sept2005, Cord Partners became the first company to offer parents an extended payment plan (see below). Licensed in NJ and NY.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• Cord Partners offices are in Los Angeles and offer live customer support 24/7; parents or physician can phone during delivery.
• Community Blood Services laboratory in Paramus, NJ, handles all cord blood units the same way, except for CorCell clients. Their processing is a two-step method: first a sedimentation stage with the chemical Hespan; then a gentle spin cycle for further cell separation. The final red cell hematocrit is only about 2%.
• Every bank which stores at Community Blood Services has a separate freezer.
• The transplant quota is from the public bank at Community Blood Services.
• Cost includes courier transport with Quick International.
• First $395 fully refundable; remaining $1300 to be refunded if collected blood cannot be processed. First year storage included in processing fees. No enrollment fee.
• Discount $100 for enrollment at least 90 days prior to due date.
• Patient Rebate Program: Reimbursement of up to $100 if your caregiver charges a collection fee.
• “Affordable Pricing Structure” announced 6Sept2005: No payment down, pay $269 six months after birth, and pay $269 annually for the next 17 years.
• Full lab test results sent within 6 weeks of birth.
• Client Referral Program awards a year of free storage for each referral that enrolls.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

In April 2004, Business Week On-line reported that 3 former employees or consultants of StemCyte had launched a company named NeoStem (www.neostem.com). Neostem would be the frst company to store autologous stem cells for adults, harvesting them from peripheral blood by apheresis. The cost was $4,700 for the harvest and $300 annual storage fee. NeoStem disappeared in Jan 2005. However… in August 2005 Cord Blood America announced that they had signed a three year agreement to market the services of NeoStem.

On 28 Jan 2006, Cord Blood America purchased the assets of Cryobank for Oncologic and Reproductive Donors (CORD) in Middletown, NY. The 750 cord blood collections in storage and three dewars belonging to CORD were moved to the laboratory at Community Blood Services in NJ.

On 13 Oct 2006, Cord Blood America acquired CorCell, a Philadelphia company which has been marketing family cord blood storage since 1996. In July 2004, CorCell had merged with the German cord blood bank VITA34, under a German holding company VITA34 International AG. The acquisition by Cord Blood America severs the relationship between CorCell and VITA34. The terms of the acquisition give Cord Blood America immediate ownership of the operating entity and assets of CorCell, plus exclusive rights to purchase their inventory of approximately 12,000 cord blood collections by 31 March 2007. CorCell will retain its operating name.

Cryobanks International

INTERNET: www.cryo-intl.com
PHONE: 800-869-8608
OFFICE: Altamonte Springs, FL; near Orlando
STORAGE: Altamonte Springs, FL; near Orlando
COMMENT: Cryobanks International primarily focuses on its public banking program: they accept donations mailed in from anywhere in the US. Donated cord blood may be listed on a transplant registry or may be used for proprietary medical research. Licensed in NY.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• Cryobanks is a participating member of the NMDP network of public cord blood banks as of 15 Dec. 2005.
• First year’s storage is included with processing. Yearly storage fee subject to change.
• Charity program: Free storage to families that have an imminent need for transplant.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

In the mid 1990’s, the original name of this company was U.S. Cryobanks of Florida.

As of 28 Nov 2005, Cryobanks International merged with the small public company Biostem, Inc. (OTC BB: BTEM). On the effective date of the merger, BioStem will issue 120 million shares of its common stock to the shareholders of Cryobanks, and the board of directors of Cryobanks will be appointed to BioStem’s board, and the current members of BioStem’s board will resign. A condition to the closing of the merger is the successful completion of a financing by Cryobanks which results in net proceeds to Cryobanks of at least $10.0 million. Cryobanks will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of BioStem.

The company Biostem had only existed for 10 days prior to this merger. Up until 18 Nov 2005, Biostem, Inc. had been known as National Parking Systems Inc. (OTC BB: NPGS).

Due to their restructuring as a publicly held company, Cryobanks is now required to file financial disclosures on the SEC website “Edgar”.

Cryobanks is actively pursuing technology licensing agreements in overseas markets. Cryobanks estimates that they can assist the development of four to six foreign facilities each year, for which they will receive a large up-front cash fee plus a percentage of the gross revenues of each facility.

• Cryobanks has an agreement to open a facility in Athens, Greece.
• Cryobanks India is a joint venture with R.J. Corporation headed by Ravi Jaipuria. They will invest Rs.1 billion to build seven facilities in metro cities. An advisor to the project is cardiologist Naresh Trehan. The first facility will open in 2006 in Gurgaon near New Delhi, as reported in IndianMuslims.Info

At the end of 2005, Cryobanks announced they are adding 2,500 square feet to their laboratory, which currently houses 8,500 cord blood cellections available for transplant.

Cryo-Cell International

INTERNET: www.cryo-cell.com
PHONE: 800-STOR-CELL
OFFICE: Oldsmar FL, near Tampa
STORAGE: Oldsmar FL, near Tampa
COMMENT:
Cryo-Cell is one of the original private cord blood banks and has been a publicly traded company since 1991: Nasdaq OTCBB symbol CCEL.
Cryo-Cell partially owns the biotech research company Saneron CCEL Therapeutics. Licensed in NJ, NY.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• First transplant press release and anniversary.
• List of Cryo-Cell transplants
• As of 25 April 2005, Cryo-Cell processes cord blood by Hespan sedimentation, and long term storage is in compartmented bags. All storage is in Oldsmar, Florida.
• In addition to AABB accreditation, the CryoCell laboratory in Oldsmar is also certified by ISO 9001:2000.
• Starting in late 2006, Cryo-Cell will also offer private banking of Pleureon Stem Cells from the placenta, through a partnership with Plureon Corporation .
• Since 6Dec2005, Cryo-Cell offers the following service plan terms:
• CRYO-CELL Client for Life(TM) Program - New and returning clients can lock in current prices for any future children: $1295 processing fee and $100 annual storage fee.
• No enrollment fees. Clients owe nothing until cord blood is received, processed, and stored.
• Personal courier service is included in the processing fee (US and Puerto Rico only).
• Payment plans: Cryo-Cell offers 6- and 12-month interest free payment plans and a 60-month financing plan to qualified clients.
• Reimbursement of $175 for cord blood collection fees.
• Customer support staffed by nurses 24/7.
• CRYO-CELL Cares(TM) Payment - In conjunction with a transplant of CRYO-CELL-banked cells, the Company will pay clients $10,000 to ease the family financial hardship of undergoing transplant.
• CRYO-CELL Payment Guarantee(TM) - In the event that a client’s cord blood, which was processed and stored by the Company, is used for transplant and fails to engraft, CRYO-CELL will pay the client $50,000.
• Through an exclusive agreement with Upromise®, Cryo-Cell will contribute 4% of its clients’ cord blood payments towards their Upromise® account for college education.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Publicly traded since 1991, Cryo-Cell business operations have been a matter of public record and were frequently written up in Florida Newspapers.

• Cryo-Cell was originally affiliated with the University of Arizona and Dr. David Harris, the founder of Cord Blood Registry. In 1998 Cryo-Cell won $1.17 million dollars in a breach of contract lawsuit against those parties.
• Cryo-Cell went on to become the industry leader in providing economical cord blood storage.
• In 2002 and 2003, Cryo-Cell underwent several changes of leadership, including the retirement of founder Dan Richard. Richard’s severance package includes a $200,000 annual consulting fee which he will receive from Cryo-Cell for life.
• On 3 Feb 2003, the St. Petersburg Times published an expose titled Meltdown in which Cryo-Cell employees alleged there were repeated malfunctions of a proprietary freezer under development at Cryo-Cell. The European affiliates of Cryo-Cell refused to use this freezer, breaching the terms of their technology transfer contract.
• In the calendar year 2004 Cryo-Cell changed several business practices and raised prices substantially. Cryo-Cell discontinued use of their proprietary freezer, cancelled plans to open a subsidiary for storage of adult stem cells, and reached an amicable settlement with their former European affiliates.
• On 6Dec2004, Cryo-Cell relocated its headquarters and lab from one Tampa suburb (Clearwater) to another (Oldsmar). The new facility is nearly 18,000 square-feet and meets FDA rules for good manufacturing and good tissue practices (cGTPs). Nearly 75,000 client specimens were moved under police escort.
• Prior to 25 April 2005, Cryo-Cell processed cord blood by “Ficoll-Hypaque” density centrifugation, and long term storage was in vials. Vials were split between two locations: company headquarters in Florida and the storage facility Safti-Cell in Sedona, Arizona.
• In Oct 2005, Cryo-Cell entered an agreement to offer placental stem cell banking.
• Cryo-Cell has international affiliates in Mexico, Central and South America, and India. As of Feb 2006 the company claims 110,000 clients worldwide.

Cryo-Cell owns 43.2% of Saneron CCEL Therapeutics Inc., a biotech company which is conducting research on spinal cord repair using donated cord blood stem cells combined with “Sertoli” cells. The “Sertoli” cells come from mammalian testes, and have the ability to provide localized immunosuppression, thereby eliminating the need for immune-suppressing drugs (like steroids or chemotherapy) when infusing patients with cord blood cells that have incompatible tissue types.

Cryo-Cell formed an exclusive partnership with the biotech firm Plureon Corporation in Oct 2005 to market the collection of “Plureon Stem Cells” (PSC) from the placenta. Researchers have found that the placenta also contains multi-potent stem cells. Plureon has purchased the worldwide licensing rights to a particular type of placental stem cell which was discovered by researchers at the Laboratory for Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering of Children’s Hospital Boston (a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate). PSC have been used to treat diabetes in animals. The company BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) has agreed to sponsor Plureon’s research in the field of diabetes applications for up to three years.

Quarterly Reports of Cryo-Cell can be accessed by searching under their name at the SEC web site Edgar. (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml)

CureSource

INTERNET: www.curesource.net
PHONE: 1-877-723-2247
OFFICE: Charleston, South Carolina
STORAGE: Charleston, South Carolina
COMMENT: CureSource has a partnership with the Medical University of South Carolina to commercialize new medical technologies; the state of South Carolina supports stem cell medicine.
SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• The CureSource laboratory is accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB).
• The processing fee includes $50 towards FedEx shipping; alternatively, courier shipping can be arranged with AirNet for an additional cost.
• A sample of maternal blood is stored as well as the cord blood. First year storage included in processing fees. Storage fee fixed at $95.
• Client referral program “Friends & Family Plan” awards a year of free storage for each referral that enrolls. Discounts on extended pre-paid storage. Payment plan available, multiple birth pricing available.
• CureSource will never use any portion of privately stored cord blood cells for research or other purposes.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: CureSource has announced a partnership with the Medical University of South Carolina “to facilitate the transfer of technology into commercial applications”. CureSource provides MUSC with donated umbilical cord blood stem cells to be used for research. The donating parents sign an informed consent and CureSource makes no profit; MUSC does not reimburse CureSource for acquiring and processing the cells.

DomaniCell

INTERNET: www.domanicell.com
PHONE: 201-883-5308
OFFICE: Hackensack, NJ
STORAGE: Progenitor Cell Therapy, Hackensack, NJ
COMMENT:
DomaniCell LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Progenitor Cell Therapy LLC. Their business concept is to market “turn-key” cord blood banking to birthing hospitals. Licensed in NJ.
SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• DomaniCell does not market cord blood banking directly to parents. To enroll, you or your doctor must use their Hospital Locator to find a DomaniCell Partner Hospital and you must deliver at that hospital.
• DomaniCell partner hospitals are “invested” in the program, which means they receive a cut of the profits.
• Cord blood collections are processed at the laboratory of Progenitor Cell Therapy. While DomaniCell has not released any cord blood transplants for their clients, this laboratory has released 92 cord blood transplants for other customers.
• The laboratory processing uses sedimentation with hetastarch to separate MonoNuclear Cells from cord blood. Bags are used for both the blood collection and the final storage of the processed cells.
• Progenitor Cell Therapy has FACT accreditation for cellular therapy products, but they do not yet have FACT/Netcord accreditation for cord blood processing.
• Domanicell contract includes courier transport, usually by AirNet.
• DomaniCell pricing varies from hospital to hospital.
• Payment plans are always available.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Progenitor Cell Therapy LLC was founded in 1997 by Andrew L. Pecora, M.D., and Robert A. Preti, Ph.D. Dr. Pecora had performed the first adult transplant of expanded cord blood. Dr. Preti was the Scientific and Laboratory Director of Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC), located in Hackensack, New Jersey. Progenitor Cell Therapy acquired HUMC in March 1999 and upgraded it to a cGTP and cGMP compliant facility which is experienced in all forms of stem cell engineering. The CEO of DomaniCell is Dennis Fallen.

Family Cord Blood Services

INTERNET: www.familycordbloodservices.com
PHONE: 800-400-3430
OFFICE: Los Angeles, CA
STORAGE: Los Angeles, CA
COMMENT: Family Cord Blood Services is a subsidiary of California Cryobank, one of the nation’s oldest sperm banks and a provider of various cryogenic services.
SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• The cord blood storage division of CalCryo was founded in 1997 and operates from its own dedicated laboratory.
• Family Cord Blood Services has had a number of transplants of peripheral (apheresis) stem cells, but the first cord blood transplant took place in 2005.
• Additional costs for shipping are $45 local and $150 national, bringing the total cost of the first year to $1280. Shipping within 100 miles is only $35; also serviced by AirNet. No late enrollment fees. Parents who have used their services before (either cord blood or reproductive services) get a $100 discount.
• Pre-pay storage for 5 yrs for $500 (save $75); 10 yrs for $840 (save $310); 20 years for $1500 (save $800). Payment plans start as low as $45/month.
• From the processing fee, $125 is set aside for cord blood collection fees: Family Cord Blood Services will reimburse the physician if there is a collection fee; else the money is refunded to the parents.
• As of August 2005, parents can select a Public Donation Option^SM at the time of enrollment. In order to be eligible, the maternal blood test and the cord blood must both pass all the medical requirements for public donation, and the parents must agree to privately store the cord blood for 10 years before releasing it. This program costs an additional $250, towards the $400 cost of HLA typing the cord blood so that it can be listed on a donor registry.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

California Cryobank Sperm Bank was founded in 1977 by two physicians, Dr. Cappy Rothman and Dr. Charles Sims. Since then, California Cryobank has grown to serve all 50 US states and more than 30 countries worldwide. With the advent of technology to process stem cells for freezing, and the increasing number of families desiring this service, in 1997 California Cryobank Stem Cell Services Inc. became the first private cord blood bank in California. The cord blood bank laboratory has always been completely separate from the sperm bank. At that time, the staff grew to include hematologist Dr. Michael Lill and director of laboratory operations Eddie Jacildo, DLM,MT,CLS. The original web portal of the cord blood bank was and still is www.mycordblood.com

As of 22 April 2005, the cord blood bank changed its name to Family Cord Blood Services. The staff is the same and the company continues to be privately held. In Nov of 2005, the cord blood bank moved from Santa Monica, CA to a lab four times bigger and less than a mile away in Los Angeles. All storage tanks were professionally relocated by Pacific Science, Inc., a certified company specializing in frozen tissue transport which has partnered with California Cryobanks for many years.

Family Link

INTERNET: www.cordbloodstorage.com
PHONE: (502) 629-1234
OFFICE: Louisville, Kentucky
STORAGE: Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky
COMMENT: Family Link is a regional bank only: cord blood is only accepted from within a 4 hour driving radius of the laboratory.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• Family Link is a program of Norton Healthcare, a not-for-profit organization which operates dozens of hospitals throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
• Family Link Cord Blood Storage Program is located in the Blood and Marrow Transplant Laboratory of Norton® Healthcare, which serves the pediatric transplant program at Kosair Children’s Hospital
• Transport services are included in the price. The regional courier service is Beeline Courier.
• The lab is moving towards separation of mononuclear cells (MNC) but currently stores whole blood.
• Discounts for repeat customers ($350 off processing) or employees of Norton Healthcare (20% off both processing and annual storage).

Genesis Bank

INTERNET: www.thegenesisbank.com
PHONE: 800-804-6703
OFFICE: General BioTechnology, Indianapolis, IN
STORAGE: General BioTechnology, Indianapolis, IN
COMMENT: Genesis Bank is a subsidiary of the biotech company General BioTechnology LLC, a small Indianapolis company (no website) which incorporated in 1997 and specializes in cryogenic research and services. General BioTechnology LLC also has a division, Genome Resources devoted to sperm banking.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• A subsidiary of parent company General BioTechnology, Genesis Bank was founded in July 2004 and began processing cord blood in their laboratory in early 2005.
• Because they are a cryogenic research facility, GenesisBank has a unique philosophy of allowing clients to chose their storage options:
  1. collection can be either bags or syringe
  2. processing method can be either volume reduction with Hespan or Ficoll-Hypaque centrifuge (for additional fee)
  3. storage can be in multiple vials or a compartmented bag

• Enrollment fee of $150 is non-refundable.
• Cost does not include transportation of the blood.
• First year storage included in processing fee.
• Discounts for pre-paid long-term storage.
• GenesisBank does not employ sales staff. Parents who telephone with inquiries will speak to some one who has a scientific background and can answer their questions.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Genesis Bank is a subsidiary of the biotech company General BioTechnology in Indianapolis. General BioTechnology was founded with an NIH-NHLBI grant to develop optimized protocols for processing and cryopreserving cord blood. They have also received grant funding from SBIR. The CEO of General BioTechnology, Erik Woods, Ph.D., is in the Dept of Pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine and has published research on cord blood preservation.
Genesis Bank was profiled by the newspaper Indianapolis Star in May 2005.

HemaStem Therapeutics

This bank is in the process (summer 2004) of changing its name to “HemaLife”
INTERNET: www.hemastem.com
PHONE: 800-203-7349; or Email info@hemastem.com
OFFICE: Main office located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
STORAGE: Uses two laboratories: USA lab is Community Blood Services, Paramus, NJ; Canadian lab is at Stem Sciences Inc. in North York, Ontario.
COMMENT: HemaStem is owned by Geneticas Life Sciences, Inc., a company specializing in biological insurance: they have divisions which bank the genes of endangered species, clone domestic animals, have a registry of human gene donors for the creation of designer babies, and bank the stem cells in cord blood. Website is in English and Spanish.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• Provides their patented StemGuard [TM] collection kit.
• Community Blood Services laboratory in Paramus, NJ, handles all cord blood units the same way, except for CorCell clients. Their processing is a two-step method: first a sedimentation stage with the chemical Hespan; then a gentle spin cycle for further cell separation. The final red cell hematocrit is only about 2%.
• Every bank which stores at Community Blood Services has a separate freezer.
• The transplant quota is from the public bank at Community Blood Services.
• Enrollment fee only charged once per family. Price includes shipping by courier service.
• First year storage included in processing fees. Prepay 10 yrs storage for $1299 (save $191).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Geneticas Life Sciences originally entered the cord blood market in 2003 with the autologous bank GeneAngel, which had a unique pricing concept: No processing fee, but a storage fee of $49.95 was charged every month indefinitely. In exchange for the on-going storage fee, GeneAngel offered parents health insurance: $100,000 if their child developed a disease treatable by cord blood transplant. Perhaps not surprisingly, they could not find customers willing to pay $10,789.20 over 18 years against the odds of one child developing a transplantable disease. Hence, they reorganized and luanched HemaStem/Hemalife.

Life Bank USA

INTERNET: www.lifebankusa.com
PHONE: 877-LIFEBANK
OFFICE: Cedar Knolls, NJ
STORAGE: Cedar Knolls, NJ
COMMENT: LifebankUSA and its parent company, Celgene Corporation (Nasdaq: CELG) pursue both private banking customers and/or donations from throughout the USA to their public banking program. Whether parents bank their baby’s umbilical cord blood privately or publicly, they are encouraged to donate the placenta. Licensed in NJ, NY.

SERVICES & DISCOUT INFORMATIONS:

• Testimonials from LifebankUSA transplants
• Animation of collection procedure
• LifebankUSA is the first US cord blood bank to be certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 9001:2000), the world’s largest developer of quality standards.
• LifebankUSA is the only private cord blood bank in the US which has two AABB-accredited laboratories, in New Jersey and Louisiana.
• Starting April 24, 2006, LifebankUSA is the first cord blood bank to offer private banking of blood from the placenta. The additional costs for this service are an extra $645 processing and $110 annual storage. Recent research shows that the placenta is also a rich source of stem cells similar to those in cord blood. LifebankUSA Placenta-Derived Stem Cell Press Release.
• Collecting cells from the placenta is a separate process. LifebankUSA recommends first collecting blood from the umbilical cord in utero , then the placenta is delivered, and cells are extracted from the placenta.
  
• Live customer support available 24/7; parents or physician can phone during delivery.
  Cost includes courier transport: Local hospital transport is via Integrity Courier Service; elsewhere via Quick International.
• First year storage included in processing fees. Client referral program awards a free year of storage to both the new client and the referring client. Returning clients receive $500 off enrollment.
• Payment plans start at $44/month for 48 months. Six month interest free payment plan also available.
• Charity Program: “Families in Need” with a disease treatable by a stem cell transplant may be entitled to free enrollment.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
LifebankUSA is still operated (summer 2006) by the staff who founded the bank, despite some changes in their business ownership.

LifebankUSA was founded in 1998 by staff who had been trained at the Community Blood Services lab of Bergen County NJ and the private bank Corcell in Philadelphia. The CEO of LifebankUSA, Haines, was a former CEO of Corcell. The President of LifebankUSA, Dr. Robert Hariri, was a former CSO of Corcell. The lab director of LifebankUSA, Dr. Manocheher Korhshidi, came from the Bergen blood bank, along with processing manager Nury Acosta.

In 2002, the Baton Rouge newspaper The Advocate, reported on 11/13/02 and 11/15/02 (search the archives) that parents at Louisiana’s charity hospitals were being encouraged to donate their placentas to The Louisiana Stem Cell Repository (www.la-stemcell.com; website no longer active). The parents received a lot of education about the value of cord blood transplants, but in fact the cord blood was being collected by the for-profit company Anthrogenesis/Lifebank and primarily used for their proprietary research. The newspapers quoted various local politicians, who were thrilled to have a biotech company operating in Louisiana.

On 13 Nov 2002, Celgene (Nasdaq: CELG) acquired Anthrogenesis/Lifebank for $45 million. The public collection program is now operated by Celgene Cellular Therapeutics. It is still active in Louisiana and has been expanded to other locations. However, the Celgene Donor Consent form has been refined.

As of spring 2005, Celgene is providing donated cord blood stem cells for clinical trials which are studying therapies for cancer, heart disease, ALS, and other diseases. Their research partners include:

• The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
• The Mayo Clinic
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
• Texas Heart® Institute

Celgene also uses the membrane of the placenta to develop proprietary medical products in their own research laboratories. One Celgene product is “Biovance”, a collagen-based wound covering. Biovance is primarily composed of amniotic membrane that has undergone minimum processing. Another Celgene product is “Ambiodry”, a dehydrated, decellularized, substrate-free human amniotic membrane allograft. Each allograft has been sterilized and a packaged in a double peel-pouch packaging configuration.

LifeLine Cryogenics

INTERNET: www.lifelinecryogenics.com
PHONE: 1-866-967-CRYO
OFFICE: Stamford, CT
STORAGE: Stamford, CT
COMMENT: LifeLine is a broad spectrum cryogenics company offering storage of sperm, eggs, ovarian tissue, embryos, and cord blood. The cord blood program serves the MA, CT, and NJ area.
SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• LifeLine uses dedicated medical couriers; their goal is to deliver the blood to the laboratory within 24-36 hours from birth. Transport costs are quoted on an individual customer basis.
• First year storage included in processing fees. Discount options if blocks of storage are prepaid.

MAZE Labs

INTERNET: www.MAZEcordblood.com
PHONE: 914-683-0000
OFFICE: Stamford, CT
STORAGE: Storage facility in Purchase, NY.
Processing lab at the White Plains office of the NY Blood Center, called “Hudson Valley Blood Services”.
COMMENT: MAZE was originally a fertility center named after the initials of the founding doctor’s four sons (Mathew, Adam, Zachary and Evan). Cord blood storage is a subsidiary company.
Licensed in NY, NJ.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• MAZE processes cord blood at the White Plains lab of the NY Blood Center, which is known as “Hudson Valley Blood Services”. This is not the same NY Blood Center lab which operates the National Cord Blood Program, collecting donations for transplants.
• The processed blood is frozen, placed in cryogenic containers, and moved to MAZE Labs in Purchase, NY for long-term storage. The processing lab and storage location are only a few miles apart in Westchester County.
• Cost is a one time, all-inclusive, fee of $1600, which includes the collection kit, private courier, pick up service from the hospital, processing and storage for the first 18 years.
• Courier service with secure chain of custody is now available, using AirNet, from any location.
• If the marker CD34+ shows a lower cell count than recommended for storage, parents have the option of destroying the specimen and receiving a refund of the $900 storage fee.

National Children’s Leukemia Foundation

INTERNET : www.leukemiafoundation.org
PHONE: (800) GIVE-HOPE
OFFICE: NY, NY
COMMENT: This “charity” is marketing private cord blood banking to families of children with leukemia. BUT siblings of children with leukemia are eligible for FREE cord blood banking. If a sibling of the baby has leukemia, or any other disease treated by transplant, you can enroll for free cord blood banking from either:

• Sibling Donor Cord Blood Program at Children’s Hospital of Oakland (510-450-7605)
• Charity program of almost any private cord blood bank.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The Charity Navigator rates the National Children’s Leukemia Foundation with zero stars. They spend more than half their budget on fund-raising, and in fiscal year 2005 the President Steve Shor received $98,500. Tax filings of non-proift organizations, called “Form 990″ are a matter of public record and Guidestar provides instructions on how to research them.

NeoCells

INTERNET: www.neocells.com
PHONE: 888-50-CELLS
OFFICE: Palm Harbor, FL
STORAGE: Reproductive Genetics Institute, Chicago, IL
COMMENT: NeoCells is currently the “most affordable” family cord blood bank.
SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• Neocells and AdultCells are both marketing companies which are subsidiaries of Vivicells (office in Chicago). Neocells banks umbilical cord blood and AdultCells banks stem cells from adults. Both types of cells are considered by scientists to be “adult” stem cells.
• Neocells and AdultCells share a laboratory at the Reproductive Genetics Institute (RGI). While RGI is world-reknowned for their work with embryonic stem cells, the cord blood laboratory is completely separate from the embryonic stem cell laboratory.
• At present, the NeoCells processing method is to separate MonoNuclear Cells completely by centrifuge, with final cord blood storage in vials. NeoCells is switching to bag storage in order to obtain accreditation from the AABB.
• First year cost (as of June 2006) is only $845 (this includes first year of storage).
• Parents are responsible to arrange and pay for return shipping of the collection.
• Payment plans are available, discounts for pre-paid storage available.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The two companies, NeoCells LLC, which banks cord blood storage, and AdultCells LLC, which banks adult stem cells, are both subsidiaries of ViviCells International, LLC, which is “the nation’s first comprehensive family stem cell bank”. The laboratory partner of Vivicells is the Reproductive Genetics Institute (RGI), founded by Yury Verlinski, Ph.D. RGI does research on embryonic stem cells and claims to have isolated cell lines with specific disease markers. RGI has clinics around the world, in Chicago and Oakbrook, IL, USA, London, UK, Larnaca, Cyprus, St. Petersburg, Russia, Kieve, Ukraine, Tokyo, Japan, and Belize.

The cord blood laboratory of Neocells is completely separate from the stem cell laboratory of Reproductive Genetics Institute, even though its directors are also affiliated with RGI. The Scientific Directors of the Neocells cord blood laboratory are Anver Kuliev, M.D., PhD and Gennady Tsukerman, M.D., PhD. Both doctors are experts on genetic disorders and Dr. Kuliev also currently operates the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Prevention of Genetic Disorders.

Newborn Blood Banking, Inc.

INTERNET: www.newbornblood.com
PHONE: 888-948-CORD
OFFICE: Tampa, FL
STORAGE: Tampa, FL
COMMENT: Emphasis on storage of whole blood, with no red cell or plasma depletion.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• Newborn was founded by parents working out of their home in the Tampa Bay area. It is now operated in a building adjacent to the home and employs a laboratory manager.
• Profiled 26 April 2004 in the St. Petersburg Times
• Discount $100 for early enrollment.
• Storage in liquid nitrogen dewar.

New England Cord Blood Bank

INTERNET: www.cordbloodbank.com
PHONE: 888-700-CORD
OFFICE: Boston, MA
STORAGE: New England Cryogenic Center, Boston, MA
COMMENT: New England Cord Blood Bank is one of the original private cord blood banks. New England Cryogenic Center, the largest cryogenic facility in North America, is the parent company of New England Cord Blood Bank. Licensed in NY.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• The NECC laboratory is accredited by AATB for tissue storage, and by AABB for cord blood storage.
• The NECBB processing method separates cells with two cycles of centrifuge spinning; this technique is known in the medical literature as “Ficoll-Hypaque” density centrifugation.
• At present NECBB stores in multiple cryovials, plus smaller vials for pre-transplant testing. Starting 1 Dec 2006, NECBB will store in multi-compartment bags.
• Cost includes Fedex transport; courier shipping costs $150 extra.
• Customer support available 24/7. No late/rush enrollment fees.
• Payment plan of one year at no interest available to all families. Extended payment plans available through CapitalOne Healthcare Financing Group.
• NECBB will reimburse up to $125 of the physician’s collection fee directly to the provider.
• Previous NECBB customers save $426 on subsequent births.
• Discounts for multiple births, families that are active duty military, and grandparents with AARP membership.
• Prepay storage for 20 years and save $580.

Regenerative Medicine Institute (RMI)

INTERNET: www.rmilabs.com
PHONE: 877-844-7379
OFFICE: California
STORAGE: unknown
COMMENT: New bank started 2005, web site does not display their street address
SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• unknown

Securacell

INTERNET: www.securacell.com
PHONE: 866-836-CELL
OFFICE: Canton, OH
STORAGE: BioStorage Technologies, Indianapolis, Indiana
COMMENT: Securacell is an independent company, not an affiliate of another bank.
SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• Prior to summer 2004, Securacell used the laboratory of New England Cryogenic Center, Boston, MA, for cord blood processing and storage.
• As of summer 2004, Securacell has a partnership with BioStorage Technologies, Indianapolis, IN, for cord blood storage.
• All Securacell cord blood inventory will be consolidated at BioStorage as of March 2006.
• Collections from NY and NJ are sent to Community Blood Services laboratory in Paramus, NJ.
• Staff includes four nurses to counsel patients and medical professionals.Courier transport with AirNet is included in price.
• Enrollment fee only charged once per family. First year storage included in processing fees. No late enrollment fees. Six different payment plans.

Stembanc

INTERNET: www.stembanc.com
PHONE: 87-STEMBANC
OFFICE: Cleveland, OH
STORAGE: Cleveland, OH
COMMENT: Stembanc refuses to answer any questions about their laboratory. Stembanc is 15% owned by PharmaStem, and under certain circumstances this ownership interest can increase. (Reference: public record of testimony in Delaware District Court 3Nov2004).
SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• Stembanc refuses to reveal any details concerning their laboratory.
• Stembanc marketing is based predominantly on their possession of a PharmaStem patent license. These patents are no longer valid as of 1 May 2006.
• As of April 2004, Stembanc offers Clinical Sales Managers (CSM) a Staff Referral Program, in which the senior CSM will receive a $100 bonus for each expectant parent enrollment credited to a newer sales manager that was recruited by the senior CSM.
• Participating physicians directly receive $200 per unit of cord blood collected and are covered by $3 million liability insurance.
• Courier transport with AirNet is available for a flat fee of $150 extra.
• First year storage included in processing fees. Prepay storage for 20 years at a 50% discount.

StemCyte Family

INTERNET: www.StemCyteFamily.com
PHONE: 866-389-4659
OFFICE: StemCyte, Arcadia, CA
STORAGE: StemCyte, Arcadia, CA
COMMENT: StemCyte is a for-profit company which started as a public cord blood bank that participates in the National Marrow Donor Program cord blood registry. The family division offers private cord blood banking at the same laboratory.
SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• List of transplants ; one was privately banked and the rest are from the StemCyte public bank.
• StemCyte Family shares the laboratory of the NMDP public bank StemCyte. Family bank collections are processed by the same protocol but stored in separate dedicated freezers with their own security identification system.
• StemCyte uses proprietary laboratory processing methods which they call the “StemCyte Stem Cell Optimization Process”. These methods were developed during the 1990’s by researchers participating in the federally-funded COrd Blood Transplantation study (COBLT). The StemCyte processing method stores plasma-depleted whole blood, rather than separated mononuclear cells. StemCyte claims that their units have 90% recovery of mononuclear cells.
• StemCyte offers family customers a LifeSaver Quality Guarantee: If a family unit is somehow damaged in processing, StemCyte will replace it at no cost with the closest match available in their public inventory, which is currently (April 2006) 25,000 units.
• Processing fee includes Quick International medical courier.
• Discounts: Early enrollment at least 8 weeks before due date discount $100; Full payment upon enrollment discount $150; Full payment upon delivery discount additional $100.
• Additional discounts available to medical professionals and active military personnel.
• Further discounts may be available: call for details.
• Annual storage fee fixed. First year storage included in processing fees.
• Refer a friend, get one year free storage.
• Charity Program: Layne’s Legacy offers free or low-cost banking if a family member is in need of a stem cell transplant. Call to apply.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Stemcyte is participating in clinical trials of stem cell therapy for

• Thalassemia - cord blood transplant study in Taiwan.
• Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) -

Stemcyte was founded in 2000 with $20 million in venture capital, but must seek new marketing avenues to generate profits.

Summer 2005 Financial Status Press Release states that an additional $13.7 million had been raised from new investors for StemCyte operations in the United States and Taiwan. StemCyte, Inc., of Arcadia, California operates the national public cord blood bank in Taiwan (see the entry for Taiwan on the page about cord blood regulations by nationality).

Viacord

INTERNET: www.viacord.com
PHONE: 866-668-4895
OFFICE: Boston, MA
STORAGE: Hebron, KY, outside Cincinnati, OH.
COMMENT: Viacord is one of the original private cord blood banks; they have become a subsidiary of Viacell Inc., a biotech company whose stem cell research has entered human trials (Dec 2003). Licensed in NJ,NY. On Friday 21Jan2005, Viacell went public on Nasdaq:VIAC.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

• List of Viacord transplants.
• Live customer support available 24/7; parents or physician can phone during delivery.
• Courier transport with Quick International is available for a flat fee of $150 extra.
• Viacord introduced a sterile collection bag developed in collaboration with medical equipment manufacturer Pall Corporation (NYSE: PLL) in April 2006.
• The Viacord processing method is similar to the large public bank NY Blood Center: no sedimentation; two centrifuge cycles, the first a light spin and the second harder. If the collected blood volume is low, parents have the option to not bank and receive a refund.
• No enrollment fee. First year storage included in processing fees.
• Payment plans start at $43/month. Storage fee fixed at $125.
• Refer a friend to Viacord, if they enroll you get a $50 gift card, accepted anyplace that takes credit cards.
• In-house program to help physicians with the paperwork of billing a patient’s insurance for cord blood collection.
• Gift Registry

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

In the summer of 2002, Viacord built a proprietary laboratory and storage facility in Hebron, KY (outside Cincinnati, OH) and began processing cord blood to separate MNC. Previously, Viacord stored whole blood at the Hoxworth Blood Center of the Univ. of Cincinnati, but those collections were moved to Hebron.

Viacord’s parent company, Viacell Inc., has several partnerships, is actively pursuing several areas of stem cell research, and has several products in development. See their website for the current status of these projects. Of particular note:

• The CEO of Viacell, Marc Beer, is a former officer of Genzyme, one of Viacell’s partners.
• In Nov 2003 Viacell acquired the European company Kourion Therapeutics, which claims to have isolated multi-potent stem cells, which they call “Unrestricted Somatic Stem Cells”, from cord blood.
• In Dec 2003 Amgen invested $20 million in Viacell.
• In Sept 2004 Viacell obtained exclusive rights to a patent for cryopreservation of human oocytes (unfertilized eggs) developed by Galileo Research Laboratories. The resulting product is called ViaCyte(SM) and will enter clinical trial in 2006.
• On Friday, 21 Jan 2005, Viacell issued an IPO and went public on Nasdaq stock exchange as VIAC.
• Shortly thereafter, the private bank Cord Blood Registry sued Viacord for “false and misleading advertising”. After years of all private banks disseminating advertising full of hyperbole, this is the first time one private bank actually sued another over its advertising. The lawsuit was settled 27 Oct 2005, with neither side making any payments or disclosing any terms of the settlement.
• In Sept 2005, Viacell had to suspend a phase I clinical trial in which patients were receiving transplants of expanded cord blood. The trial was stopped because two patients (out of 8) developed acute Graft-versus-Host Disease (aGVHD; both recovered).
• In Feb 2006 Viacell opened a new corporate headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., with laboratory space for research and development, as well as manufacturing of cell products for clinical trials.
• ViaCell also has research and development operations in Singapore.

Quarterly Reports of public companies can be accessed by searching under their name at the SEC web site “Edgar” (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml). The financial analysis website, Motley Fool (requires registration), frequently writes reports on Viacell.