Why Newborn Banking for Cord Tissue?
The best part about stem cells derived from cord tissue is that these are the youngest, most potent autologous (personal) stem cells that are ever available for personal use. While there are other sources of young, potent personal stem cells, no source is as young and robust as those derived from cord tissue.
Disadvantages of Newborn Cord Tissue
There are a limited amount of stem cells in both the cord blood and cord tissue. Given that the average number of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) natively available in a cord tissue sample is only 1 to 3 million cells, there are limitations without CellMaxx™.3
Many banks offer “multiple storage bags” which gives the illusion of multiple treatments. What actually matters is the total live stem cell count yield among all containers. The average live stem cell yield is 1-3 million total from a cord blood or cord tissue sample. When divided into 5 storage bags, that’s only 200,000 – 600,000 stem cells per bag, and according to research, using this small amount of cells could have limitations. Multiple current clinical studies administer at least 1 million stem cells per 1kg of body weight for different treatments, and thus there is no guarantee that stem cells natively available in the cord blood or cord tissue would be sufficient for one treatment.6
How does VitalCells overcome these challenges?
At VitalCells, our revolutionary process, CellMaxx™ allows us to retrieve potentially billions of your newborn’s live stem cells that can be potentially used throughout your child’s lifetime. Without CellMaxx™, the 1-3 million cells natively available in your child’s cord tissue, might not be enough for your child.
We are here to help when you need us
As a prospective parent, you are looking at storing your baby’s stem cells because you want the best possible protection for their health, not just today, but for the rest of their life. At first, choosing the right stem cell bank can seem a little daunting so we have created a list of important questions on this topic.
A stem cell is essentially a cell with a blank slate of your DNA. It can replicate and differentiate into other cell types. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that are derived from adipose, bone marrow, and umbilical cord blood/tissue can be signaled by injured cells and hone in on sites of inflammation throughout the body. MSCs are immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types, including bone (osteoblasts), cartilage (chondrocytes), muscle (myocytes) and fat (adipocytes).5
Total Nucleated Cell (TNC) Count measures the total number of cells that contain a nucleus (excluding red blood cells, but is not limited to just stem cells) in a sample. Stem cells only comprise a small portion of the TNC count. Most importantly, TNC count does not measure the viability of the cells which states if the cells counted are dead or alive.
Total Nucleated Cell (TNC) count shows the total cells both dead and alive in a sample. Only a tiny percentage of the TNC count comprises actual stem cells versus other types of cells.
We verify life stem cell count multiple different ways. We perform viability analysis on all samples before cryopreservation and before shipping samples, which counts the total number of live stem cells. Internally, we have multiple techniques, both automated and manual, for live stem cell counting. We also perform studies on our stem cell samples to confirm they hold the proper stem cell markers.
At VitalCells, we prioritize the number of live stem cells that we can safely cryopreserve for our clients. With our revolutionary technology, CellMaxx™, we can obtain potentially billions of your newborn’s mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) using only the cord blood and cord tissue samples. The placenta is often difficult to keep sterile during transportation and VitalCells does not need any further samples besides the cord blood and cord tissue. Given that VitalCells can provide up to 10x more MSCs in our basic plan and 1,000x MSCs in total versus leading competitors, including those who bank the placenta, it is unnecessary for VitalCells to offer placenta banking services.
In theory, indefinitely. Once cells are at -196°C the cells are metabolically inactive, and ‘suspended in time’ practically forever. Scientific cell-banking data over the last 70 years supports this method of long-term storage, and its ongoing viability.
