Experts in Stem Cells
Building on our excellence in science, research and development, biomanufacturing, medical and laboratory services, we can provide an array of highly customized services on a collaborative or contract basis for scientific studies or ongoing daily needs.
CBU Search & Selection
Transplant Medicine
Physicians and transplant center coordinators submit formal searches of our inventory via WebSearch, our online platform that instantly generates an automated, preliminary match report. From there, our physicians, scientists and HLA experts are available to assist in the selection of the most appropriate unit(s) available for a patient, depending on a number of criteria including:
- level of HLA match
- cell dose
- disease to be treated
- type of transplant (e.g., single versus double unit cord blood transplant)
- patient pre-conditioning regimen, and
- other requirements and preferences that are specific to the transplant centers we work with.
Cellular Therapies
Our program is also an active participant in several clinical and non-clinical research trials, each entailing unique selection criteria that are frequently very different in type and priority than those listed above. Given our extensive inventory, associated stored samples, archive of test results and database containing hundreds of variables on each unit, we provide complete customization for research trial needs.
CFU Assay
The evaluation of colony forming units (CFU) in cord blood is a test that provides information about the functional status of cord blood cells. The test is a critical component of our quality protocols and is performed on each unit both before cryopreservation and at the time of release for transplantation in a patient. While there are other tests which provide a measure of cord blood unit quality (e.g., TNC and CD34 enumeration), neither of these tests measure the functional health (i.e., ability of stem cells to proliferate and differentiate) of the cells they count.
Several years ago, we developed a high resolution digital imaging (HRDI) system to record dish images and their corresponding CFU counts. The HRDI system has enabled more flexibility in the timing of workflow and increased our lab's capacity to perform the assay. As a result, in 2013 we began providing the CFU assay as a service to other public cord blood banks and to nearby research institutions.
Other Testing Services
We have a long-standing track record of developing assays for our internal and third party use. We currently perform these and other cord blood testing within our program:
- Sickle Cell hemoglobin screening
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and
- ABO/Rh.
Our parent company New York Blood Center also offers HLA testing and infectious disease markers testing (IDM). In addition, through our Blood Group Genomics Lab, we offer a variety of DNA-typing services.