The Israeli Cord Blood Bank

The Company
Established 2001, the Israeli cord blood bank is the leading and largest private family Cord Blood Bank in Israel. The company count thousands of samples stored. Company headquartered is at Herzelia, Israel. The company owns or has access to operating stem cells and cord blood laboratories and storage facilities both in Tel Aviv Medical Center - Ichilov Hospital and Cryo-Save Lab the European largest private cord blood bank.

Stem Cells and Umbilical Cord Blood Banking

Cord Blood Banking

Stem cells from umbilical cord blood are known to treat over 70 diseases, and have been used at over 8,000 transplants worldwide. In addition to the value of cord blood stem cells today, research is ongoing for a large number of potential medical treatments based on umbilical cord blood stem cells in the future. Private Cord Blood banking will allow the baby and his family the accessibility to present and future medical technologies and treatments with stem cells that have a perfect match to him and a high probability of match to siblings.

Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells

Your baby's umbilical cord blood is rich with stem cells, which are special cells normally found in our bone marrow. Stem cells are the master cells responsible for producing all of the mature cells in our blood and immune system. They form the white cells that fight infection, the red cells that carry oxygen, the platelets that promote clotting and the cells of our immune systems.

Umbilical cord blood stem cells are with perfect genetic match to the baby they were taken from and are with at least 25% match to sibling.

Stem cell treatments and transplants have already been used for such wide-ranging diseases and conditions as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia, sickle cell disease, severe anemia and severe combined immunodeficiency. And experimentation for expanded uses of stem cells holds great promise. Current research is being conducted on the use of stem cells for the treatment of cardiac and neurological diseases, to name a few.

As scientists discovered that the cord is a rich source of stem cells, umbilical cord blood became a viable substitute to bone marrow in thousands of successful transplants.

Cord Blood Collection

Cord Blood Stem cells collection, processing & preservation:
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord immediately after the baby's birth, usually before the placenta has been delivered. Moment of delivery is the only opportunity to harvest a newborn's stem cells. There is absolutely no pain or risk to the mother or child during the collection process since the blood is taken from the cord once it has been clamped and cut. Collection is safe for both vaginal and cesarean deliveries.

To collect cord blood, a healthcare provider uses our Collection Kit supplied by the Israeli cord blood bank - so advance arrangements will need to be made. Cord blood is drawn from the umbilical cord into the blood collection bag that comes in the kit.

The blood bag is then packed into the special shipping materials provided. The parents will then contact the Israeli cord blood bank 24/7 costumer service operator to report the delivery. Company representative will collect the kit from the parents and transfer it to the lab for processing.

The more you learn about cord blood banking, the more you'll realize how simple it is to do. Herebelow you will find valuable information about banking your baby's cord blood. Should you still have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The lab

the Israeli cord blood bank Lab services are being handled at our 2 state-of-art stem cell labs in Tel Aviv Medical Center Hospital (Ichilov) and Cryo-Save Belgium.

Tel Aviv Medical Center - Ichilov Hospital

As one of the leading medical centers in Israel, Ichilov Hospital has an international medical reputation. The head of our stem cell bank is Professor Ella Naparstek, head of the Hematology Institute and Bone Marrow transplantation Department, one of the leading transplantation doctors in Israel. Prof. Naprstek is a graduate of Harvard University and The National Health Institute in Washington in the studies of stem cells, blood cells and cancer cells

Cryo Save Lab

Cryo-Save is the leading private family bank of cord blood stem cells in Europe, with more than 65.000 samples stored.

Cryo-Save is a founding member of the International Tissue Engineering Research Association, an international forum of scientists and researchers specialized in stem cells and tissue repair. Together with 5 universities in Europe and the Fraunhofer Institute, Cryo-Save has been selected to conduct fundamental research in the field of cryo-preservation techniques for stem cells in an EU funded Framework Program called CRYSTAL

Cord Blood Processing

Within an average of 36 hours of collection, the blood is processed, tested, separated and stem cells cryogenically stored (frozen).

Each cord blood sample is tested to confirm the absence of microbiological contamination.

Human Tissue (HLA) typing is not routinely performed at the time of processing, but would be necessary to confirm compatibility if the stem cells are being considered for use in treatment where the recipient is not also the donor. HLA typing may be performed via blood testing as an insurance-reimbursable cost in a typical physician-ordered transplant work-up.

Upon completion of the process of your baby Cord Blood the lab will issue a proof of success and storage of your sample and a storage commitment for no less then 20 years.

Costs

Since the Israeli cord blood bank inception we have maintained that our customer are our best ambassadors and so we stress on service and fair pricing that will guarantee you the peace of mind you seeking with us. To get a price offer please contact us at ++972-9-9519595 or by E-mail

FAQ

Why Should I store cord blood with the Israeli cord blood bank ?

Experience - the Israeli cord blood bank has acquired over 16 years of experience in stem cells and cord blood processing and storing.

Ichilov Cryo Save Guarantee - Upon completion of the process of your baby sample Ichilov Hospital or Cryo save Lab will issue to you directly a proof of success and storage of your sample and a storage commitment for no less then 20 years.

Storage in Tubes - for your family security storing cord blood in two tubes is important for two reasons:

1. In case you ever need to use the sample in the future, you are not forced to defreeze the whole cord blood sample and lose it for future usage.
2. It allows you, for additional charge, dual storage and in case of a disaster scenario in one of the labs always have a portion of the sample stored elsewhere.

Regulations - The Stem Cells lab facilities are certified to ISO9001:2000 standards.

Sterile Environment - In order to maintain the highest standards and to avoid contamination of the cord blood sample, two ways is available: working with a robotic close system "Sepax" used at Cryo Save Lab and a Clean Room environment used at Ichilov Hospital.

How long can cord blood stem cells be stored?

Although we currently offer a 20 year storage program, it is believed that stem cells can be successfully stored long term, perhaps decades, in a cryo-preserved form, though sufficient years have not passed to prove the absolute length of time. However, a recent study of cord blood at Indiana University demonstrated its viability after 15 years of cryogenic storage. What's more, bone marrow has been stored for decades and has remained viable-there is no reason to believe that the same would not be true of cord blood.

What makes cord blood more usable than bone marrow?

Cord blood stem cells are easily extracted, resulting in no risk or pain for the mother or baby. Alternatively, bone marrow collection is an invasive procedure and requires general anesthesia with its inherent risks. Cord blood stem cells have a high rate of engraftment, are more tolerant of HLA mismatches, result in a reduced rate of graft-versus-host disease and are rarely contaminated with latent viruses-which simply mean that the body often accepts cord blood stem cells better than those from bone marrow. Plus, banked cord blood is readily accessible, allowing treatment to begin earlier if required, with no time wasted in the search and matching process required for publicly banked stem cells.

What are the other benefits to banking my newborn's cord blood?

Often, matched stem cells, needed for transplant, are difficult to obtain due to strict matching requirements. Stem cells taken from your newborn have a perfect match for your baby for lifetime. Additionally, your child's cord blood stem cells have at least a one-in-four chance of matching a sibling.
Cord blood may have uses in the future well beyond stem cell transplants. New medical technologies may utilize stem cells to rebuild cardiac tissue, repair damage due to stroke or spinal cord injuries and reverse the effects of such diseases as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's. While the research is in its early stages, the possibilities are extremely promising. So by banking your child's stem cells now, you increase your family access to any of these technologies in the future.