Ethical, versatile, retreivable, sterile
The blood concentrated in the umbilical cord after the birth of the baby is rich in “NEONATAL” stem cells, different from all the other stem cell sources such as bone marrow, peripheral blood and other more recent sources.
Collecting blood from the umbilical cord immediately after birth is a procedure that does not involve ethical or religious issues, is painless and without risk for mother and child, and enables the immaturity and unique quality of these cells to be exploited.
What you need to do to preserve cord blood:
- Purchase the SmartKit for €250.00 VAT inclusive, by telephone or from the website at the link order here (from the sixth month of pregnancy and preferably by the last month of pregnancy with the appropriate shopping cart). Payment can be either by credit card or bank transfer according to the details automatically sent to the e-mail address indicated when purchasing. The kit can be delivered even in two days, if requested.
- Open the SmartKit containing everything necessary for collection and transport of the blood, as well as the instructions and certificates for carrying out the necessary practices before birth. To read about prenatal practices click here.
- Pay for the sample cryogenic storage service when the birth is imminent or according to a pre-established procedure. Should it be impossible to preserve the sample read the refund options .
- The day of birth (immediately afterward delivery) the parents must inform SmartBank which will organise the collection and shipping of the sample to the laboratory in England. The shipping will be done with international couriers authorized to transport biological material (DHL or AIRPLUS Express) strictly observing the international standards of 48 – 72 hours.
What SmartBank and BioVault do after collecting the cord blood:
Our customer service informs parents about the delivery of the sample to the Laboratory around 7 days after the e-mail communicating the processing outcome.
If the result is positive and the sample has been stored within 30 days of birth, the parents will receive by post a detailed Cryogenic Storage Certificate and from then on the sample will remain under “quarantine” until the proven negativity of the infectivological markers; the quarantine period ranges from a minimum of 6 months to a maximum time needed before transplant.
All the procedures to follow before and after the birth
SmartBank is the only bank that, through the storage certificate, transparently communicates the results of the sample both in terms of:
- quantity > total leukocytes and total CD34+ cells
- quality > degree of cellular (or metabolic) vitality
and adopts strict sample selection criteria in compliance with the current minimum parameters for an onco-haematological transplant.
Therefore, for a sample of less than:
500,000 CD34+ and/or 60% of cell vitality
the parents can decide to interrupt the storage contract by exercising their “right of withdrawal” with a “Statement of Withdrawal” letter that SmartBank sends in these rare cases with the Storage Certificate.
The Scientific Director – Dr Irene Martini – is available for information and advice on the sample results.
Cell vitality has been demonstrated for 15 years but this figure will presumably be revised in time*.
The SmartBank storage contract specifies an initial duration of 25 years and the parents (those signing the contract or right holders) will remain owners of the stem cell sample until the child comes of age when he or she will be able to decide what to do with them.
SmartBank’s services include the availability of the sample ready for therapeutic use in all the accredited transplant centres worldwide. In Italy, the import licence for the sample is issued each time by the Ministry of Health – Office VIII – Prevention and Communications Department – Health Prevention Head Office, in compliance with Law 219/2005.
To learn more:
(* Broxmeyer H.E. “High-efficiency recovery of functional hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells from human cord blood cryopreserved for 15 years” PNAS 2003 Vol. 100, n.2, 645-650)
