ViaCord: umbilical cord blood cryopreservation
Our ViaCord Cord Blood Banking product involves the collection, testing, processing and preserving of umbilical cord blood. Our customers are expectant parents who choose to collect and store umbilical cord blood at the birth of their child for potential use in a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the donor and family members. We have established a leading position in this emerging field of private umbilical cord blood preservation.
Over the past three years, the number of customers in this industry has grown significantly. Family cord blood preservation is growing in acceptance by the medical community and has become increasingly popular with families. We believe the total available target market could grow to 30% of US births driven by:
• increased awareness about the availability and benefits of preserving cord blood;
• growing endorsement by the medical community;
• new applications for cell therapy; and
• potential for expanding the number of stem cells in a single unit of cord blood, making it possible to treat larger, adult patients or multiple patients within a family.
To date, ViaCord has facilitated collections at over 2,000 hospitals in the United States, and currently stores over 145,000 cord blood units for customers.
The following services are provided to each customer:
Provision of Collection Kits. We provide a kit containing all the materials necessary for collecting the newborn's umbilical cord blood at birth and packaging the unit for transportation. The kit also provides for the collection of a maternal blood sample for later testing.
Comprehensive Testing. At the laboratory, we conduct several tests on the cord blood unit which are essential in the event the unit is ever needed for transplant. These tests include volume collected, number and viability of nucleated cells, sterility, blood typing and the percent of stem cells. The maternal blood sample is tested for infectious diseases.
Processing. At our state-of-the-art laboratory, we process the cord blood using a process designed to maximize the number of stem cells preserved.
Cryopreservation. After processing and testing, we freeze the cord blood unit in a controlled manner and store it using liquid nitrogen. Published data indicates that cord blood retains viability and function for 15 years, and potentially longer, when stored in this manner.
All of our processing and storage of cord blood products is handled at our own cord blood processing and storage facility located in Hebron, Kentucky.
ViaCord complements our ability to deliver cellular medicines by providing:
• experience in providing banked umbilical cord blood for stem cell transplantation, with 36 of our
customers' umbilical cord blood units used in transplantations to date;
• strong relationships in the cell therapy community, including leading transplant centers;
• expertise in cord blood collection, storage, testing and preservation; and
• overall financial stability.