Newborn Banking 101
VitalCells is here simplify stem cell banking and help parents make a more educated decision. You get one chance to protect your child’s future health with their most valuable asset – their youngest stem cells at birth. Use VitalCells as a guide in understanding the benefits of investing in your child’s newborn stem cells to use for personal healthcare!
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK WHEN CHOOSING A BANK
- Does the bank have the technology to process and expand the cord blood or cord tissue stem cells to use throughout the child’s lifetime?
- How many live stem cells are being stored and what type of live stem cells are these? A Total Nucleated Cell (TNC) count is NOT a live stem cell count.
- Is the processing and expansion of cord blood or tissue stem cells included in the price? If not, what is the extra cost to get them ready to use and how long does that take?
- How can I access the cells for my child when needed?
- How many families that have stored at the bank have used their stem cells for personal use?
COMMON QUESTIONS
We would all do anything to protect our children and now with the power to store personal stem cells at VitalCells, your baby can have access to their most valuable health resource- their own stem cells!
- These stem cells can help play a critical role in naturally healing your child’s body.
- Stem cells therapy in regenerative medicine is widely being used today and will continue to evolve as the industry matures.
- There is peace of mind knowing you have stored your child’s most valuable health asset – their youngest personal cells.
- Cord Blood
- By saving cord blood you are simply saving a blood source with a limited amount of Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs), that can be used in specific transplant (donor) situations.
- Cord blood is primarily used for a matched donor for blood cancers and disorders.
- Very few families that have saved their cord blood in a cord blood bank have used their cord blood stem cells for a matched sibling.
- Mesenchymal Stem Cells
- By saving the live mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from the actual cord blood or tissue at VitalCells, you are saving live MSCs that can naturally become other types of cells such as bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, vascular, and skin.
- These cells can help regenerate, repair, and regulate immune systems and reduce inflammation.
- Your child can use their own stem cells in conjunction with their practitioner for various conditions. There are numerous studies using MSCs for sports related injuries and autoimmune conditions.
Stem Cells are being used for an extensive list of conditions including, but not limited to sprots injuries, neurological conditions, autoimmune conditions, urological, pulmonary, and cardiovascular conditions.
- When these stem cells are reintroduced back in the child’s body, they can help repair and regenerate tissues.
- These cells also work on helping the immune system to function properly.
- VitalCells is responsible for caring and safely protecting your child’s most precious health resource.
- Your child is the owner of the cells, and you are the guardian.
- If your child needs their cells, you can easily access them in conjunction with your medical professional.
Regenerative medicine is an emerging field of medicine addressing your child’s unmet needs with next generation solutions.
- Where traditional medicine or surgery has been limited to treat symptoms of a condition or problem there is no cure for, regenerative medicine focuses on restoring, replacing, or regenerating damaged or dysfunctional cells, tissues, or organs due to injury, trauma, or disease.
- Personal stem cell therapy advancements within regenerative medicine have proven that personal stem cell banking could be the most important personal healthcare decision for your child today and for the future.
The type of stem cell you bank really does matter.
- MSCs are adult stem cells that are easily extracted from the umbilical cord blood or tissue, adipose (fat) or bone marrow that can be signaled by injured cells to home in on sites of inflammation throughout the body.
- They are immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory which allows them to be effective for many different conditions.
- They are multipotent stem cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types including bone, cartilage, fat, and muscle.
- VitalCells can culture expand (grow) your child’s youngest MSCs to make available massive quantities of their own stem cells. This is important because it allows your child to use their stem cells throughout their lifetime.
There is a saying,” you don’t know what you don’t know” This is an important question and one that most families do not know to ask when doing their research.
- Freezing the umbilical cord without processing the cells first results in 4 scenarios:
- A final product not ready for use
- Having to use an outside source for processing stem cell expansion.
- Extra unknown cost to the client.
- Limited live stem cells when the cord is thawed.
- Unfortunately, most cord blood companies freeze the umbilical cord without processing the cells.
- oWhy do they do this? Because their focus is on cord blood sample storage NOT on the usability of stem cells.
- Most cord blood companies do not have the technology to process and grow stem cells.
- Live Stem Cell Count at VitalCells
- Using multiple proprietary techniques, VitalCells counts the number of live mesenchymal stem cells before the cells are cryopreserved.
- We perform studies on our stem cell samples to confirm they hold the proper stem cell makers, viability (live cell amount) and quantity.
- Why do we do this? At VitalCells, we are focused on the efficacy of live mesenchymal stem cells in regenerative medicine. Physicians will request a specific number of live stem cells for their patient. It is imperative to know how many live cells your child has and at VitalCells we make that possible.
- VitalCells technology potentially allows billions of cells to be grown throughout the child’s lifetime.
MSCs have no expiration date when properly cryopreserved. Once cells are at -196 degrees C, the cells are metabolically inactive, and ‘suspended in time’ in theory, indefinitely. Scientific cell banking data over the last 70 years supports this method of long-term storage and its ongoing viability.
Absolutely! With VitalCells revolutionary processing technique, we ensure that your child will have ample access to their own personal stem cells far beyond one-time use and potentially can be used throughout the child’s life. It is an investment that continues to grow.
VitalCells works with top regenerative medicine physicians nationally. With an extensive network of relationships, VitalCells can connect our clients with top physicians to provide further information and education about the potential uses for your child’s cells.
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
MYTH VitalCells DOES NOT simply bank cord blood!
- Cord Blood
- By saving cord blood you are simply saving a blood source with limited amount of Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) that are used in specific transplant (donor) situations.
- Cord blood is primarily used in transplant for a matched donor for blood cancers and disorders.
- Very few families that have saved their cord blood in a cord blood bank have used their cord blood stem cells for a matched sibling.
- Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs)
- By saving the live mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from the actual cord blood or cord tissue at VitalCells, you are saving the live MSCs that can naturally become other types of cells such as bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, vascular, and skin.
- These cells can regenerate, repair, and regulate immune systems and reduce inflammation.
- Your child can use their own stem cells in conjunction with their practitioner. There are numerous studies using MSCs for sports related injuries and autoimmune conditions.
MYTH. Cord blood samples have an extremely limited amount of live stem cells and simply preserving the cord blood should not be a priority. Traditional cord blood banks have released a small number of samples in the past 3 decades. This is typically because stored cord blood is primarily used in a transplant situation as a potential treatment option for something like blood cancer. Given that there is a limited number of live MSCs in the cord blood and they are not grown further out, there are extremely limited number of cells to use.
MYTH. Storing at a bank that simply focuses on cord blood or tissue cryopreservation should not be prioritized. VitalCells works with medical practitioners across the country that are using personal stem cell therapy and is focused on the advancement of personal stem cells. We are changing the landscape on stem cell banking by storing pure mesenchymal stem cells that can be naturally self-replicated and accessed multiple times.
MYTH. The majority of mesenchymal stem cell therapy use cases in regenerative medicine fall outside genetic conditions such as: orthopedic, neurologic, cardiovascular, and autoimmune conditions.
- Freezing the umbilical cord without processing the cells first results in 4 scenarios:
- A final product not ready for use
- Having to use an outside source for processing stem cell expansion.
- Extra unknown cost to the client.
- Limited live stem cells when the cord is thawed.
- Unfortunately, most cord blood companies freeze the umbilical cord without processing the cells.
- oWhy do they do this? Because their focus is on cord blood sample storage NOT on the usability of stem cells.
- Most cord blood companies do not have the technology to process and grow stem cells.
- Live Stem Cell Count at VitalCells
- Using multiple proprietary techniques, VitalCells counts the number of live mesenchymal stem cells before the cells are cryopreserved.
- We perform studies on our stem cell samples to confirm they hold the proper stem cell makers, viability (live cell amount) and quantity.
- Why do we do this? At VitalCells, we are focused on the efficacy of live mesenchymal stem cells in regenerative medicine. Physicians will request a specific number of live stem cells for their patient. It is imperative to know how many live cells your child has and at VitalCells we make that possible.
- VitalCells technology potentially allows billions of cells to be grown throughout the child’s lifetime.
WHY VITALCELLS
VitalCells does not simply bank cord blood similar to most traditional cord blood banks. Why? Because banking cord blood is not banking stem cells. It is only saving a blood resource that is limited in use for primarily matched donors. Exclusive to VitalCells, our revolutionary processing technique makes it possible to grow potentially billions of your child’s live stem cells to use for personal healthcare. You can take comfort knowing your child will have access to their personal stem cells throughout their lifetime. These stem cells can be critical at healing your child’s body.
Live stem cells are the only count that matters! Physicians request a specific number of live mesenchymal stem cells for their patients. It is imperative to know how many live cells your child has access to throughout their lifetime. Exclusive to VitalCells, your child can have access to their own stems today and throughout their lifetime to use for personal healthcare! It is important to ask important questions when evaluating newborn stem cell banks:
- Does the bank have the technology to process and expand live stem cells to a large quantity to use throughout the child’s lifetime?
- Is the processing and expansion of stem cells included in the price? If not, what is the extra cost to get them ready to use and how long does that take?
- How can I access the cells for my child when needed?
- How many families that have stored at the bank used their stem cells for personal use?
How does VCs pricing and packages compare to other newborn banks: VitalCells is the only newborn bank that offers a live stem cell count guarantee. VitalCells understands the importance of live stem cells and thus wants to ensure that your child has a usable sample. At VitalCells, we believe banking your child’s stem cells is one of the most important decisions you can make for your child and family. VitalCells believes that each newborn banked is unique and your package should be too. Set up a consultation with VitalCells today and let us create your bespoke banking plan that fits your family’s needs.
SAFETY QUESTIONS
The cord blood and tissue collection process is known by delivering medical professions, including OBs and midwives, and is performed after delivery. This is a safe and well-known process that provides minimal risk or pain to mother or baby during the sample collection process.
Absolutely. We recommend discussing with your medical professional the timing of umbilical cord clamping. The process of cord blood collection begins immediately after the cord is clamped and cut. Because VitalCells focuses on stem cell storage rather than a blood resource, we require at the very least the cord tissue for banking with VitalCells.
The collection process is not affected by c-section. Your medical professional can still collect the cord tissue and blood during a c-section.
Delayed cord clamping can be done in conjunction with collecting the cord blood and cord tissue for newborn banking. Cord blood and tissue collection begins immediately after the cord is clamped and cut. At VitalCells, we prefer both cord blood and cord tissue samples, but at the very least need the cord tissue. Sending VitalCells the minimum cord tissue requirement will not affect plans for delayed cord clamping.